HOPEFUL DREAMS & HIDDEN DESIRES

Hi guys :)

Oh my God! I'm really, really sorry for the epically long wait this time! I understand why some of you might have given up on me! I really hope it's not the case for most of you guys though! And I hope that you think it's worth the wait even though this chapter is not really that long :)

So many things have happened in my life!

I lost my job since the last update, applied for a new one, went to different interviews and got a new job, I started a month ago. So that obviously took a lot of energy and time from me.

Then as mentioned the last time I have a new girlfriend. An amazing and sweet and kind girlfriend. Only problem is she lives 750 kilometers away, so we're doing the whole long distance thing. That means that a lot of days and evenings where I don't have plans with friends or family are spent talking and Facetiming with her. But please don't blame it on her - I promise you that she's also anxiously awaiting this chapter and she's really annoyed with me because I won't let her have sneak peeks :D So here you go honey :*

Then my sister is getting married in the summer, so I have a lot of things going on regarding that. Like the bachelorette party and stuff – so I'm warning you right now: it might be a while until the next update!

I know it seem like excuses, but sadly I just don't have enough hours in a day to have the time I want for all of it. So I need to prioritize.

It does not mean I've given up on the story though! Not at all. I promised to finish it one way or another and I very much intend to keep that promise. So be patient with me! :) I feel really strongly about this story myself and I love when I have the time to work on it :D

Thank you so much for your lovely and encouraging reviews of chapter 36 – I really appreciate it. Also thank you to all of you who took the time to write that you miss me! :) It means more than you know.

Ace: LOL! I would love to see your happy dance – hope you do one this time around too :P

Eva: Sorry I left you guys again :/ I hope you're still sticking to the story ;)

Jolynn15: You're such a loyal reader. I love that. Thank you for sticking with me! :D

Stacycooper: I love it when someone says my story is one of their favorites :P

The guest that reread this story a bajilion times: Thank you! That made me so very happy! :D

And24Trina: Thank you for your kind words. I hope you're going to like this chapter :)

elmarti: Thank you. I am very, very happy right now! :D

EpicOrb: Well perfect timing then! I hope you haven't forgotten about my story and that it's still one of your favorite AUs ;)

LauraLou87: Thank you so much! And here's another chapter for another happy dance ;)

TheScholarGipsy: I love looooooong reviews! ;) And I'm sorry I kept you guys hanging…again…for even longer :P

SamT: Thank you, thank you, thank you! I'm sorry you then needed to wait this long for an update! I hope you're still with me :P

Disclaimer: I do not own Grey's or any of the characters - they all belong to the lovely Shonda Rhimes and ABC. I'm just toying with them for fun with no intentions of profiting.

Also I know nothing about LA as I've never been there so please bear with me in this chapter if some of the things happening there is incorrect or impossible :D

Enjoy it! :D

CHAPTER 37:

Arizona was standing at the door watching as Callie put on her ankle boots. She smiled as she took in her girlfriend. It was Tuesday morning and after spending all of Monday together at Callie's place it was now time to go face the real world.

The brunette stood up and looked around the room. Arizona knew that this was just a quick check up to see if everything was in order before leaving. Callie did it every single time. Brown eyes found blue ones and the brunette smiled at her girlfriend.

"What are you looking at?" the brunette asked.

The blonde chuckled. "You obviously."

Callie rolled her eyes. "No shit Sherlock. Are you ready to go?"

Arizona nodded her head, but when the brunette moved to open the door Arizona got in front of her. "Wait" the blonde softly said.

The brunette gave her girlfriend a puzzled look. "Why? You're not ready anyway?"

Arizona shook her head before leaning in and very softly placing her lips over her girlfriend's. The blonde put her hand on the brunette's neck and pulled her closer. Callie parted her lips slightly and felt a soft tongue enter her mouth and collide with her own.

When they parted the blonde put her forehead against her smiling girlfriend's. "I love you. And I know that things are going to change when we walk out that door. But I want you to know that I also know that it won't be for the worse. This change will be for the better. Because it means I never need to hold back. I can hold your hand and keep you close when I want to. And I'm really looking forward to that. I know it'll be a transition and that it'll probably be weird and hard in the beginning. But I have you. And that is worth all the struggles and discomfort in the world."

Callie pulled back and looked at the blonde. It was obvious that Arizona was nervous about what was going to happen, but her words eased the brunette's mind. "We can do this. I know we can. But this is also the first time for you being in a relationship in the public eye. And then a homosexual one none the less. You are going to be furious sometimes and I guarantee you that at some point you will wish that you and I were just two normal people that weren't in the public eye. And at some point you're probably also going to want to not want to be with me because you'll feel like it's not worth it. But just promise me to talk to me then. Don't try to hide how you're feeling. Because I'll know something is wrong anyway.

Arizona pushed Callie away gently and reached down to take her hand. "I promise. Now let's go or we'll be late for work."

The blonde stepped aside for the brunette to open the door. Callie squeezed an ivory hand and blinked at Arizona before they made their way outside.

Arizona didn't know what she'd expected, but when she looked down at the street she had a feeling that every single paparazzi in the entire world had gathered in front of Callie's house.

"We're never going to get out of here" the blonde whispered.

Callie could feel Arizona starting to pull her hand back, so the brunette held it extra tight and turned the blonde so she was facing away from the street. "Don't worry I already took care of it. I called the security company just in case, so a security guy will be here in a minute to throw them all away. It's a private street and my neighbors do not want them here either, so they're going to have to leave."

Arizona exhaled. "Okay. Good thing you're so good at this. But why didn't we just wait in the house then?"

The brunette smiled and pulled Arizona to her for a small hug. "Because I'm hoping that a few pictures of us together, even though they won't seem that intimate and will probably come off as a little tense, will satisfy them for now."

The blonde smiled as they pulled back. "I hope it works."

Right then a car pulled up honking and two security guards came out and started ushering the paparazzi away.

"Looks like it's all clear in a minute. Get in the car hot stuff" the brunette said with a wink at her girlfriend.

Arizona smiled and walked around the car to get in on the passenger seat.

Arizona stood and watched Callie shoot a scene with Nathan. She turned her head as she felt a presence next to her. She smiled at her girlfriend's best friend as the red head approached.

"Hi" Addison said with a smile. "So, how bad was it this morning?"

The blonde sighed. "Security guards had to come and make the paparazzi leave so we could get here."

The red head cringed a little. "Urgh I'm sorry about that. It's just the news of it all. I'm sure it'll wear off."

"Yeah." Arizona smiled as she watched her girlfriend laugh really hard at something Nathan said between takes. "Hey Addison?"

The red head looked at the blonde "Yes?"

"If I were to take Callie out on a date, what would she then like to do?" Arizona asked.

Addison chuckled. "She's your girlfriend. You know what she likes Arizona."

The blonde shook her head. "I don't. Not on this subject. Because we haven't been able to go on dates, so we've never actually talked about it."

The red head chuckled a little again. "You don't need to talk about it to know what she likes" Addison said and watched as Arizona rolled her eyes "but I would say it depends on when the date takes place. Regardless she likes to do something where you guys can talk. If it's by day then maybe something like hiking would be a good idea because she loves to get out in the nature. And if it's a night thing then something were you guys can learn new things about each other would be highly appreciated by her. Something were you see each other in different situations than what you're used to."

Arizona smiled at her boss. "Thank you."

Addison smiled back. "You're welcome. So when is this date taking place?"

The blonde chuckled. "When I get myself together and ask her."

"That shouldn't be that hard" the red head added with a chuckle of her own.

Arizona sighed. "I know. I just somehow need this to be the best first date ever."

Addison smiled knowingly at Arizona. "She loves you. She wants to spend time with you. You can take her to do anything and she will consider it the best first date ever" the red head stated. Then she chuckled a little. "Just maybe avoid bungee jumping or something that involves too many snakes. She won't be a fan of either, trust me, I know."

The blonde laughed. "Noted."

Then the red head reached out and squeezed Arizona's shoulder. "Would you tell her that she's on Ellen the day after tomorrow? Nathalie just called me."

Arizona nodded "Of course."

"Great. Thank you" the red head finished before she turned around and left the set again.

Callie was sitting in her trailer eating lunch while she shuffled through news on her phone. Most gossip sites had already posted a picture of her and Arizona in the driveway of her house. The brunette looked up as there was a knock on her door. "Come in."

Callie couldn't help but break out into a smile when her girlfriend's face appeared in the doorway. "Hey! I thought you were shooting now?" the brunette asked confused.

Arizona smiled at her girlfriend. "Something was wrong with the set, so we have a small break. I thought I would come see you. If you're not busy?"

The brunette shook her head. "Of course not. You can always come here. Why aren't you coming in though?"

The blonde smiled and stepped up and into the trailer. As she did a small bouquet of lilac flowers appeared along with her. Arizona saw Callie's eyes shift to the flowers and then back up to meet hers. Brown orbs were filled with questions.

"I actually came to ask you something" Arizona said as she moved further in the trailer and closer to her girlfriend.

Callie smiled at Arizona and raised an eyebrow. "Are you coming here to propose to me because I have to say that it's a total wrong setting. I'm not going to say yes if you propose to me at work, so be warned!"

The blonde rolled her eyes and chuckled. "Don't worry Ms. Torres, I'm not here to ask you to join me in marriage. I'm here to ask you out on a date tonight!"

The brunette's smile got even bigger before it turned into a pout. "But I wanted to be the one to ask you out on a first date" Callie whined.

Arizona chuckled and winked at her girlfriend. "Well then you should have moved faster."

Callie rolled her eyes as the smile appeared again. "Okay I'll go on a date with you. But you better wow me hot stuff!"

The blonde smiled back. "Oh I will don't worry. It's going to be the best first date ever."

The brunette reached out and grabbed Arizona by her waist to pull her close. "I don't doubt that. Are you going to give me those?" Callie asked as she nodded towards the flowers.

Arizona rolled her eyes and reached the flowers out for Callie to take. "Here you go. I have to go back though. But be ready at 6. You're done at 5 today, right?"

The brunette nodded. "Yeah. You'll pick me up here? What should I wear?"

"I'll pick you up here. And wear casual clothes. It's nothing fancy" the blonde stated.

Callie pulled back and faked shock. "You're not even taking me to a fancy restaurant for our first date? You need to WOO me Arizona!"

Arizona rolled her eyes again. "I promised you the best first date ever. And it doesn't need to be at a fancy restaurant for that to happen."

The brunette let go of her girlfriend's waist and put a hand up to caress an ivory cheek. "I know. Thank you, Arizona."

The blonde smiled and closed her eyes for a second. When she opened them again she leaned forward and placed a soft, chaste kiss on plump lips. "I love you. Be ready at 6!"

Callie smiled and let go of the blonde totally. "I will. I love you too."

Arizona winked again and turned around to leave the trailer. When she reached the door, she turned around again. "Oh and by the way Addison asked me to tell you that you're on Ellen the day after tomorrow. And be prepared to be wooed big time tonight beautiful." With that the blonde left the trailer.

Arizona was nervous. Really nervous. And late. She'd tanked her last scene of the day two times and now she was behind schedule. She heard her phone vibrate and groaned. "Patience Calliope Torres. Jesus!"

She smiled when she unlocked her phone though.

* Hey A. I'm sure you're nervous, and probably late, by now. But don't worry, everything will go by without a hitch and Addison and I are here keeping an eye on everything along with a very nice and very scary looking security guy. You're going to blow her mind. Love, T.

Arizona put her phone down and closed her eyes. She took in a couple of deep breaths and gave herself one last look in the mirror. She'd opted to go with bright blue jeans, a black top and her black leather jacket. Her hair was in loose waves.

She put on her sunglasses, left her trailer and walked to her girlfriend's. She took one last deep breath and knocked on the door. Two seconds later it was swung open. "You're late! That's no way to woo a lady on the first date" the brunette stated.

Arizona tried to get words to come out of her mouth but it proved very difficult. "Callie!" she got out at last.

The brunette laughed at the look on her girlfriend's face and twirled. "You like what you see?"

The blonde didn't say anything but pulled the other woman to her for a hard and passionate kiss. "You've never looked hotter" Arizona breathed out when they parted.

"I'm going on a first date. I need to look hot. This is the time to seal the deal" Callie answered and made her way out the trailer.

Arizona couldn't tear her eyes away from her girlfriend. Callie had on black leather looking pants that showed off the brunette's legs very well. Then she had a grey, flowing, kind of see through shirt on that gave away that she wore a black lacy bra. Then she had on her leather jacket. Her make-up was done in smokey brown and it made the brunette's eyes stand out in an amazing way that the blonde had never seen before. Her dark brown hair was put in three Dutch braids ending in a ponytail.

Callie looked back over her shoulder as she put on her own sunglasses. "Are you coming? I'm guessing that if you're late here then we're also late for wherever it is that we're going!"

The blonde shook her head and hurried to catch up with her girlfriend. She laced her fingers with her girlfriend's. "You look out of this world amazing. I can't believe that you're going on a first date with me."

Callie smiled at her girlfriend and looked at her over the top of her sunglasses. "You don't look too bad yourself. I love it when your hair is down."

Arizona squeezed the other woman's hand. "I know."

"So where are you taking me?" Callie asked.

The blonde shook her head. "No way. That's a secret a little longer."

They got to Arizona's car and the blonde opened the door on the passenger's seat for her girlfriend. Callie smiled and pecked pink lips before getting in.

The blonde went to her own side, got in and turned on the car. Then she turned on the music and started singing along as 'Girls just wanna have fun' came on.

Callie looked at the blonde in disbelief. "Wow you are REALLY bad at singing! I don't think I've ever met anyone else who's not hitting a single note."

The blonde turned and smiled really big at the brunette. "Well it's not always about being good at things Calliope. It's about the joy of doing it. You should never stop doing something you like just because you're maybe not a pro at it. And I like singing! It's fun!"

The brunette chuckled. "As much as I like that life philosophy, I still think we should try to teach you just a little bit."

Arizona smiled again and glanced at the brunette. "Will you promise to reward me VERY nicely if I make progress? Because I have to say that people have tried teaching me before with not much luck. I'm going to need huge amounts of motivation!"

"I'm sure we can figure something out" Callie said with a grin. Then the brunette turned the radio volume up a little more. "Until then we can maybe camouflage your voice just a bit."

That only made the blonde sing even louder and Callie couldn't help but laugh.

Ten minutes later the blonde pulled up in front of a building. Callie facepalmed herself at the sight. "Of course! I should have known!"

Arizona chuckled. "What? It's going to be fun Calliope. And we have the whole place to ourselves."

The brunette sighed and rolled her eyes as she looked at the big sign saying 'Moonlight Rollerway' again. "I'm not exactly the rollerskating kind of girl Arizona."

The blonde turned the brunette's face towards her. "You will be. I have awesome skills and when you see them you will want to join me. I know." Then Arizona clapped her hands. "It's going to be so much fun. I'm really excited. I can't remember the last time I did this."

Callie couldn't help but smile at the excitement in the other woman's eyes. "But I don't want to" the brunette whined.

"Stop being such a spoil sport Callie" the blonde stated before opening her door and getting out. Then she walked to the brunette's side of the car, opened the door and held out her hand for her girlfriend to take. "Come out of the car Callie. This is my date. And you agreed to come. So you need to do what I planned."

The brunette reluctantly got out of the car. "I'm definitely going to be the one needing motivation for this" Callie said.

"Oh there will be plenty of motivation, because there will be plenty of opportunities to check out my ass while we're in there" Arizona said as she pointed towards the rollerskating facility.

As they entered the facility Callie suddenly realized that it wasn't at all like she thought. In the middle was the skating rink and it was bathed in purple and blue disco lights. A woman approached them from the side. "Arizona Robbins?"

The blonde smiled at the woman. "Yes. And this is Callie Torres. But I'm sure you already know that!"

The woman smiled at the brunette. "Of course. Welcome to the both of you. And let me start by pointing out that I secure you absolute discretion in this. Everything is set up. Your skates are at the benches over there" the woman said as she pointed to the side of the rink "and the jukebox is set up so you can pick any songs you like. I'm going to give you some privacy, but if you have any questions I'll be at the office right over there." The woman stated as she pointed towards a door at the back of the room. Then she smiled at the two women and left them alone at the entrance of the facility.

Arizona turned and smiled at her girlfriend as she reached for a tanned hand. "Come on. Let's do this."

Callie let herself be dragged to the benches next to the rink. As they got there two pair of rollerskates appeared. One black pair with silver sequins on the sides and a pink pair with glitter in all colors. "I'm guessing the pink pair is for you."

The blonde smiled. "Of course. I picked black for you. Because you are bad ass! And you should have bad ass skates."

The brunette raised her eyebrows as she looked at her girlfriend. Then she reached down and picked up a rollerskate. "THIS is not bad ass."

Arizona laughed at the look on her girlfriend's face. "Well it's the most bad ass they have at a disco skating place."

The blonde finished lacing her skates and got up. She smirked at her girlfriend before setting off onto the rink. She showed off a little with skating backwards and doing a few tricks as she skated to the other side towards the jukebox.

Callie looked at the other woman and smiled at the sight of her girlfriend being so at home on the skates. She put on her own and got out on the rink. She skated to the blonde and put her arms around her waist. "You've been holding out on me with your rollerskating abilities!"

Arizona smiled and leaned back into the other woman's embrace. "Well it's not exactly something you randomly mention. But I'll have you know I was the queen of the Little Creek rollerskating place. Everyone wanted to skate with me."

Callie squeezed her girlfriend a little tighter. "Oh really. Lots of pimpled young guys trying to pick you up, huh? Wanting to be seen with the queen of the rollerskating rink?"

The blonde turned around and hit the brunette playfully on the shoulder before skating away. "Don't mock me. You're lucky I'm available for you with all the offers I got back then!" Arizona twirled around a little on the skates.

The brunette smiled and skated towards her girlfriend that quickly skated away though. "Hey!" Callie exclaimed "We're on a first date. You should want to skate with me."

Arizona chuckled and did another twirl. "But then I can't wow you with my awesome skills and routines!"

"What routines?" Callie asked.

At that Arizona just skated past the brunette back to the jukebox. She shuffled a little before settling on something. Then she skated to the middle of the rink.

Callie looked on as the blonde stood in some weird position in the middle of it all. Then as the tunes of Shakira's hit 'whenever wherever' sounded out of the speakers, Arizona began a very weird routine on her rollerskates. As it progressed Callie's smile got bigger and bigger and at some point, she needed to press her lips really tight together as to not burst out laughing. Arizona ended the whole thing with a grand final twirl right in front of the brunette.

That did it for Callie and she started laughing really hard. Tears were running down her cheeks as she looked at her girlfriend that seemed very proud of herself and also a little confused.

"When did you last do that routine?" the brunette asked.

Arizona thought for a second. "Back in the early 2000's I think. But it doesn't change the fact that it is an AWESOME routine!"

Callie continued laughing. "You should have seen yourself. No pimpled teenageboys would make a move on you now that's for sure!"

The blonde pouted and crossed her arms in front of her chest. "You're mean! I'm not showing you more routines that's for sure."

The brunette reached out and pulled Arizona to her in such a swift movement that the blonde almost lost her footing on the rollerskates. "You're adorable! I love you! Now show me how you do some of those things. You never know when I need to entertain someone with rollerskating moves."

Arizona smiled and looked up into brown eyes. "I really, really love you. I've never been as happy as I am now. With you."

"I've never been this happy either" Callie said before placing a kiss on pink lips. "And thank you for this. I would have never considered even for a second going a place like this on my own."

The blonde kissed her girlfriend and skated back to the jukebox. "It's your turn to pick a song."

The brunette skated over to Arizona and looked over her shoulder on the jukebox as the blonde shuffled through the songs. "Oh that one!" Callie suddenly exclaimed.

Arizona turned and looked at her girlfriend shocked. "SERIOUSLY?!"

"What?" Callie chuckled.

"SPICE GIRLS?" Arizona asked with wide eyes.

"You didn't think I listened to Spice Girls when I was younger? Why wouldn't I? Because they are too pop for my bad ass self?" the brunette asked mockingly.

The blonde chuckled and looked up and down her girlfriend. "No. Yes. Maybe. I mean look at you. You're all…dark and stuff."

"Dark and stuff?" Callie asked with a chuckle.

Arizona smiled. "You know what I mean! You don't seem like someone who would love mainstream pop."

The brunette smiled and leaned in to kiss an ivory cheek. "I'll let you in on a little secret: My room was filled with Britney Spears posters when I was younger. I barely listened to anything else. Except for Spice Girls of course because who didn't listen to Spice Girls?" the brunette asked rhetorically.

The blonde chuckled. "Well who would have known. There's a bright and shiny pop girl inside your bad ass exterior!"

Callie laughed. "Yeah. Don't tell anyone. It'll be our little secret!"

Arizona smiled. "I like that. That I know things about you that nobody can tell by looking at you. I like that you share stuff like that with me."

"I want to tell you anything you want to know. Like I want to know everything you want to tell me" the brunette softly stated. "Now come rollerskate-dance with me to 'Wannabe'"

"Where are we going now?" Callie asked as they approached Arizona's car again.

The blonde smiled. "You'll just have to see!"

The two of them had spent an hour rollerskating and talking about their teenage selves. It had been a lot of fun and Callie had enjoyed every second. Even though she had been sure that she would hate it when they pulled up at the rollerskating facility.

Arizona started the car and drove out of the parking lot. They talked and laughed as they drove until Callie suddenly exclaimed. "We're going to the beach? You know it's going to be filled with paparazzi? We're going to be facing constant photographing!"

The blonde reached over and put her hand on her girlfriend's knee. "Calm down and breath honey! I know that and I've got it covered. But yes we're going to the beach."

Callie took a deep breath. "Sorry!"

The blonde smiled and caressed the brunette's leg. "It's okay. It's good to know that I'm not the only one that can panic a little at this" Arizona said with a quick wink at the other woman.

They drove along the beach a little north until they reached a neighborhood of really big, and probably very expensive, houses. Callie was very surprised when they pulled up at one of the houses. "Arizona?" the brunette asked with uncertainty in her voice.

The blonde laughed. "Don't worry Calliope. We're not breaking an entry as the second part of our date. We're allowed to be here. We have a mutual friend who knows the owner."

They got out of the car and Callie followed Arizona around the house and towards the beach. The brunette spotted an area near the water at the private part of the beach that was shielded by white fabric. A scary looking guy was standing at the entrance.

"Oh great, you guys are here!" Callie jumped at the sudden voice.

"Jesus Christ Ads, you scared the shit out of me! What are you doing here?" the brunette asked.

The red head laughed. "Chill Callie. And I'm here because my lovely wife promised to make sure that everything goes according to the plan your girlfriend made!" Addison said with a small eyeroll.

The brunette chuckled. "The things you sacrifice for love, huh Ads?"

"Exactly. But now you're here, so Teddy and I can go home and spend the rest of the evening on the couch" the red head said with a smile.

"You can go in a minute" Arizona said as she put a hand on Callie's arm "I'm just going to go inside and check with Teddy that everything is okay and then we can eat, okay?"

The brunette nodded and leaned in to place a deep kiss on the blonde's lips. "Thank you."

"You're welcome" Arizona replied a little out of breath before walking up to the patio and in through the French doors.

Callie turned to her friend. "So...?"

"Forget it! I'm not telling you anything!" Addison replied instantly. "But let me tell you Callie; she went all out. I'm really happy for you that you have found someone like her. She's really good for you."

"Thank you. I assume you're the mutual friend who knows the owner of this place?" the brunette asked.

The red head smiled. "Yes. It's a sound mixer. He's, like you can see, very successful!"

Callie chuckled. "No kidding!"

"Let me just say real quick" Addison added with a smirk as she looked her friend up and down "that you look HOT tonight. Well done Callie, well done!"

The brunette chuckled. "Down boy! I have a girlfriend and you have a wife….who's coming out here now by the way" Callie added and nodded towards the French doors that Arizona and Teddy made their way through in that moment.

"Hi Callie" Teddy said as she walked up and put her hand on the small of Addison's back. "Are you ready to go?" the honey-blonde asked her wife.

"Like you wouldn't believe!" the red head answered "I'm done slaving so that others can have a perfect night."

Teddy rolled her eyes. "Oh my God, dramatic much sweetheart?" Then she smiled at Arizona and Callie. "Have a good night you guys."

"Bye" Addison said as she took Teddy's hand and started dragging her to the front of the house.

"Thank you!" Arizona shouted after the couple as they disappeared.

Callie turned her attention to the blonde who was one big smile. "Now what?"

Arizona took one the brunette's hand in her own. "Now we go down there" she said as she pointed to the area shielded by the white fabric.

The two women made their way towards the guy standing in front of the area. As they reached him he smiled really big at Arizona. Callie was surprised that someone looking that scary could then so suddenly look so gentle. "Hey Arizona."

"Hi Peter" the blonde said as she let go of Callie's hand and hugged the guy. Then she turned and smiled at the brunette. "Callie, this is Peter. Peter, this is Callie."

The brunette reached out and shook the man's hand. "Nice to meet you Peter."

"Likewise" the guy said softly.

"I met Peter at the gym a few days before I started working at 'Heart and Hospital'. Turns out he's a private security guide. So, he agreed on doing me a favor and make sure that we have our privacy tonight" Arizona explained.

"Exactly. So you guys should go and enjoy each other's company" Peter said as he pulled back some of the fabric.

As he did a very romantic setting was revealed to Callie. A small table and two chairs were situated overlooking the ocean. Candles in all sizes were scattered in the sand and cascading on the white fabric making the whole setting have a warm glow. The table had a bouquet of lilac flowers that matched the bouquet Arizona gave Callie earlier that day, when she invited her to the date.

"Arizona" Callie softly said before turning and looking at her girlfriend that looked a little shy.

"Do you like it?" the blonde asked nervously.

"Like it?" the brunette stated "I love it. It's beautiful."

"I know it's kind of inane and a standard date, but I just figured that when we live such a beautiful place then why not make good use of it!" Arizona let out.

Callie reached out and took an ivory hand again. "It's perfect Arizona. Really! Now feed me, because I'm very hungry."

The blonde laughed and walked through the opening. As they'd both entered, Peter let the fabric fall once again shielding the two women. Callie took it all in for a second and squeezed Arizona's hand. "Thank you. This is really beautiful. It most have taken a lot of effort and a lot of money for this to happen."

Arizona smiled. "You're welcome. And it wasn't even that bad actually. I'm just happy I get to spend some time with you outside in the open. Even though this is not exactly open" the blonde frowned as she talked.

The brunette smiled and leaned over to kiss an ivory cheek. "I know what you mean! And our first date shouldn't be for the whole world to see. We can do something really public later."

The blonde felt her nerves ease a little at Callie's words. "Yeah." Then she moved to pull out a chair for her girlfriend. "Come sit down."

Callie did as she was told and when Arizona sat down next to her, the brunette reached out with her one hand and put it on the other woman's thigh. "So what are we having?"

Arizona smiled "We're having oysters as a starter and then we're having seabass as a main course with sautéed vegetables and then icecream and cake for desert. A chef is preparing it in the house."

"That sounds perfect" the brunette said before leaning in for a kiss. She very softly placed her lips on Arizona's and slowly let her tongue across the other woman's lips. When Arizona parted her lips and their tongues met it somehow felt different than the other times.

A clearing of a throat made them part and Arizona looked back towards the entrance and smiled at Peter. "The chef is here with the starters."

"Perfect. We're more than ready for food" the blonde said with a wink at Callie.

Two seconds later a chef appeared with a bowl of oysters for each. "Here you go ladies" he said with a smile.

"Thank you" the two women answered in unison.

Arizona looked at the brunette who sat there looking at her food and then out to the ocean. "You're very, very beautiful Callie" the blonde breathed out.

Callie turned her head and looked at Arizona. "Thank you. You are too."

The blonde cleared her throat. "Bon appétit Calliope."

The brunette smiled and started eating her food. The two of them ate their starters in silence as they listened to the soft sounds of the small waves of the ocean.

When they finished, the chef came back and got their plates and let them know that the main course would be served fifteen minutes later.

Arizona looked at the woman sitting next to her. "You want to go down to the ocean for a bit?"

Callie smiled and got up from her chair. "Of course." As they approached the water Callie stopped, took of her shoes and put up her trousers a little. The blonde did the same and took the brunette's hand as she pulled her to the front of the water. They stood there with their toes in the water and looked out in the dark. Suddenly Arizona was pulled really hard by Callie which made her loose her footing. The brunette reacted fast though and caught the other woman just before she hit the water.

"Jesus, what the hell did you do that for?" the blonde asked.

Callie laughed and rose the two of them to stand up again. "I just wanted you close to me" she said as she squeezed the blonde close to her.

Arizona smiled. "Well good. Because I want to be close to you always."

The brunette reached up and put a lock of soft, blonde hair behind her girlfriend's ear. Then she leaned in and put her forehead against Arizona's. "This has been a really good date so far. The rollerskating wasn't what I would have picked, but it's taught me a lot about you and I really had fun. And this is just a perfect setting for a very good dinner."

The blonde smiled at those words. "I know you would have never picked that. But you and I are starting a new relationship. I don't want to take you to all those places you've been with Mark and do what you guys usually did. I want us to make new memories. So I'm warning you now; I'm going to make sure you try lots of new things."

Callie chuckled. "Well thank you for the warning!"

Arizona leaned up and gave Callie a long, playful kiss before pulling back. "Yeah you always need to stay on your toes to keep up with me. I hope you know that."

The brunette rose one of her eyebrows. "Oh really?"

"Yes really" the blonde chuckled. And then in one swift moment she bent down and sprayed a handful of water on her girlfriend.

"Arizona!" Callie exclaimed.

The blonde chuckled but only for a second before she saw the brunette move towards her. Arizona squealed and started running back up towards their dinner setting.

"Oh no. Come here!" the brunette shouted as she set after the blonde. Callie caught up with Arizona just before she reached the candle lit setting and tackled her onto the sand. She rolled the blonde on her back and held her arms with one hand as she started tickling her with the other.

"Calliope" Arizona said laughing as she tried to wrestle the strong brunette off her.

"Beg for mercy!" Callie said with a smirk.

"NEVER!" the blonde shouted and started laughing even harder when the brunette started tickling her even more.

"Beg for mercy" Callie whispered as she leaned down so her mouth was close to the blonde's. Tears were now streaming down ivory cheeks as Arizona continued laughing.

"Mercy" the blonde managed to get out in between her laughs.

Callie removed her grip on the blonde and placed her hands next to the other woman's face. Then she leaned down and pressed her lips to pink ones. A sigh left Arizona and Callie smiled at the sound. They lay there kissing for a while until Peter's voice interrupted them. "Main course is here."

Callie nuzzled her nose against Arizona's before getting off her and offering a hand to her girlfriend so she could get up.

"Yam, main course!" the blonde stated as they sat back down on their seats making her girlfriend laugh.

Arizona pulled up in front of Callie's house and turned off the engine. The two women got out of the car and the blonde followed the brunette to her door.

As Callie put the keys in the lock Arizona put her hands on the brunette's. Callie turned to Arizona with a puzzled look on her face.

"I'm not going to come inside with you" the blonde softly said.

"What? Why not?" Callie asked.

Arizona smiled. "Because it's our first date. You deserve more than for me to sleep with you on our first date."

Brown orbs rolled in a tanned face. "We had sex this morning Arizona!"

The blonde chuckled. "I know. But that was before our first date!" Arizona pointed out. "So now you're going to go inside and process our date and the things you learned about me and we're going to text like maniacs for the rest of the night and then we're going to go to bed with a smile on our face because we have each other and this evening has been really good. And then we'll see each other at work tomorrow!"

Callie sighed. "Okay! But only because I don't feel I can change your mind."

Arizona smiled and leaned in to peck plump lips. "Goodnight my love" the blonde whispered.

"Goodnight hot stuff" the brunette replied. "Thank you for a perfect first date!"

"You're very welcome Calliope" the blonde replied. Then Arizona turned around to make her way to the car. But before she opened the door she looked up at the smiling brunette standing at the door.

Arizona ran back to her girlfriend and jumped at her with all her force. Callie was very surprised at the turn of events and managed to catch the blonde under her ass just before she fell to the ground. "Wow" the brunette said as the blonde clung to her in a hug. "What's going on?"

"I love you. And I'm so happy you're mine and that we went on a real date. I'm just so happy. Because of you!" Arizona murmured into a tanned neck.

Callie smiled. "I love you too. And I'm very happy too. Because of you."

The blonde let go of her girlfriend that slowly let her back down on her feet again. "Okay I'm going for real now! I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah I'll see you tomorrow" Callie said with a smile at her girlfriend that was already making her way down towards her car again.

That's it for chapter 37.

I hope you all liked it and thought it was worth the wait. As always let me know what you thought.

Lots of love /Julie