Collide

Following the events of "Sanctuary: Death and all His Friends" Callie and Arizona start to make sense of the big question, when you've managed to avoid disaster, what comes next?

Title: Collide by Howie Day

They just don't make water hot enough. Callie thought, scrubbing the feeling of fear with a loofa as hard as she could. She'd seen him, the man who caused lockdown, shot Derek, Owen, killed Charles, terrified Bailey, almost killed Little Grey…

She had been hearing stories all afternoon and from the look on Chief's face, the hospital would be haunted for years to come. Christina hadn't come home yet, she stayed in the triage set up at another hospital while Owen was tended to and from the sound of her voice on the answering machine, she had no intention of leaving the man's side.

Callie tilted her face up towards the water, feeling it bead along her cheeks and eyelids. She hadn't realized she was crying until a sob escaped her lips. She covered her face in her hands, crying uncontrollably for a minute before regaining some semblance of control. She sniffled and stuck her face back into the water, hoping to clear up the tears and puffiness she was beginning to feel. She heard the sound of the glass slide back as Arizona stepped into the shower, her arms wrapping around Callie from behind and holding her tightly. Callie felt her legs buckle and she turned quickly to face Arizona, burying her face in the blonde's neck. "I could've lost you today." she managed to say, her arms looping around Arizona's waist. "I mean really lost you…"

"I know…" Arizona replied, kissing the top of Callie's wet head. "I'm not going anywhere."

"Promise?" Callie asked, her eyes feeling fresh tears begin to well up.

"Well, I'm sure we're going to need to get out of the shower at some point…you know I hate being all pruney…"

Callie sat on the edge of the bed, clad in Arizona's gray Arizona Cardinals t shirt and her own pj shorts, her hair wrapped up in her towel. She held the neck to her nose and inhaled deeply. She had gotten Arizona the shirt as a joke one afternoon and adored that she wore it when she went running. She thought about how hostile they had been towards one another at the hospital, especially before lockdown. What if I had been on five instead? What if Arizona had been on five looking for me? She shuttered. She looked up as Arizona entered the room carrying two mugs of tea, a box of thin mints under her right arm. "Christina said Owen is okay and Derek woke up from surgery."

"Thank God…"

"Karev's in critical but Mark and Lexie are with him and he sounds like he'll make it."

Callie nodded, staring at the floor for a moment before realizing that Arizona was wearing one of Callie's t-shirts. "How's Bailey?"

"In shock. Charles was with her…he…he didn't make it." Arizona sat next to Callie, putting the mugs on the end table and wrapping her right arm around Callie's shoulders. "I know what you're thinking. Don't think the thought hadn't crossed my mind."

"What thought would that be?"

"What if I was on the floor with Karev or Bailey…What if you were there…" Arizona let the question fall between them, watching the way Callie stared off at the floor, her eyebrows knit in worry. "And we were fighting…I'm sorry." Callie nodded absently. "I keep thinking, God, what if, what if you hadn't just come up to peds? Or what if I really did think that lockdown was just a hoax and…When did you get to be so brave?"

"What?"

"You. You were so brave…"

"I had to be. It was probably the scariest thing I've ever done and I've done surgery on a kid who was trapped in concrete…I just…I kept thinking I have to protect you and I have to protect Ruby…" Arizona watched as Callie's hands sat in her lap, the thumbnail of her right hand scraping the thumbnail of her left as she spoke. "And you really needed to know how much I love you. How badly I care about you. How much you mean to me…isn't that what you love about me? My big heart?"

Arizona let out a small laugh. "Yeah. Yes it is."

"Did you mean it? About the kids?"

"Yes. Why would I make that up?"

"To get me to shut up maybe…because you were freaked out by what was happening."

"I know a few ways to get you to shut up, Calliope, telling you something as monumental as lets have kids would not be one of them." Arizona cupped Callie's face in her hands. "You are the most beautiful, most incredibly loving person I've ever met and despite our differences and the fact that you have the most giving of personalites just makes me love you more than I have ever loved anyone else. I. I guess I just…wanted to keep that all to myself. I know it's a little selfish, but I'm human." She kissed Callie softly, gently pressing herself against her. She felt a shiver pass between them as Callie's arms looped around Arizona's neck, deepening the kiss. Arizona broke the contact slowly, her fingers twined into Callie's hair, her pale blue eyes locked onto chocolate brown eyes. "Forgive my flaws?"

"On the condition that you don't change how stubborn you are. I like getting my way but I like getting it with a little difficultly too."

"There's been too much fighting going on today, so I'm not going to be putting up much of a fight." Arizona replied, her forehead pressed against Callie's. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, smelling the soap that Callie had used in the shower. "I just want to lay in bed and wait for the worst to blow over." Arizona waited a moment, eyes squeezed tightly, listening to the sound of the city outside of the window. She became aware of the way that Callie's hands found hers, squeezing them tightly, the wamrth and softness of the contact. She felt tears begin to well behind her eyelids. "I'm sorry." she whispered, hot tears rolling down her cheeks. "I'm sorry I said what I said about not trusting you and doubting your feelings about this relationship. I was angry and scared and it didn't make sense to me to have the conversation about kids when we've been so perfect together, when it's been you and me in this bed and together with every opportunity in the world to see and to do it all together…"

Callie moved her head back, watching Arizona as she cried and stared off at the floor, sobbing. Her right hand moved up to cup Arizona's cheek, brushing away the tears. "We still can. We don't need to have kids right this second…"

"I know but but but I've never seen kids in my future the way I've seen the future with you and I'm a girl that doesn't plan too far ahead."

"And now?"

"It doesn't seem so scary." Arizona admitted with a small laugh. She leaned forward, burying her face into Callie's neck, her tears moistening the fabric of her t-shirt. Callie rubbed Arizona's back and shoulders, kissing the top of her head softly, listening to the sounds of her crying working its way out of her. "Thank you for loving me…"

"I really can't help it." Callie whispered into Arizona's ear before softly kissing her temple. "I have a big heart."

Arizona sniffled as she disengaged from Callie's arms. She padded to the bathroom to wash her face and blow her nose. She stared at her reflection in the mirror for a moment, letting the water trickle down her cheeks and chin before drying herself off. She shut off the light and padded back to the bedroom only to find the lights off and Callie tucked underneath the covers. "Calliope?" she whispered, slowly approaching the bed. She found the t-shirt shucked to the floor at the foot of the bed. A small smile crossed her lips as she rounded the bed to her side. She sat on the edge of the bed and studied Callie as she lay still under the covers. "Still awake?"

"Mmhm." Callie answered, moving the sheets down for Arizona. "Coming in?"

Arizona nodded and slipped underneath the covers, a shiver passing through her as she caught of glimpse of Callie's bare skin. "Protesting clothing?"

"Barriers." Callie said with a purr, pulling at Arizona's shirt. "I know we should be in that grieving period but I was so miserable without you and the way we were fighting…I just want you to know I'm over it. I'm all yours and I want you to be all mine."

Arizona nodded, pulling the shirt off and tossing it to the side. She wrapped her arms around Callie's body, their mouths finding each other in seconds and sweetening the heated contact. Callie's fingers raked through Arizona's hair, the tip of her tongue slipping along Arizona's bottom lip before capturing it between her teeth. A low moan escaped Arizona's throat as she cupped Callie's rear, pulling her closer, her right thigh nestling between Callie's, eliciting a low moan from Callie. Callie looked up at Arizona, her dark eyes hooded with passion before she kissed Arizona softly. "Is this make up sex?" she purred against Arizona's mouth.

"This is us without barriers…" Arizona replied, her voice husky. She kissed Callie slowly, letting their lips dance across each other softly, tasting the sweetest of each other as Arizona's hands roamed Callie's body, her fingertips leaving a trail of heat in their wake. Callie brushed back a lock of hair from Arizona's face as the blonde broke off the heated kiss to leave a trail of kisses along the right side of her neck and onto her shoulder. She shivered as Arizona's mouth found her collarbone, the tip of her tongue sliding slowly across before she nipped at her shoulder again. "I love you." Arizona whispered into Callie's neck before ducking her mouth to Callie's and kissing her deeply. She draped herself on top of Callie, their bodies shifting and adjusting to accommodate the new position, causing a new ripple of passion to pass between them. "I love the way you feel." Arizona purred into Callie's mouth between deep kisses. "The way you kiss me. The way you touch me…I can't believe we almost lost this…" She paused and framed Callie's face with her hands, her eyes roaming Callie's face, stopping at the flush in her cheeks and the fullness of her lips. "You mean the world to me. Did you know that? I mean, disaster always makes us realize that we are so lucky…and…"

Callie pressed her fingers against Arizona's lips. "Stop. Just…don't stop kissing me."

Arizona nodded and let Callie pull her back down to the bed, kissing her fears away.

Callie's mouth left a trail of fire along Arizona's stomach. Callie silently thanked God Arizona was a runner, her body was tightly wound up as the tip of her tongue trailed along her hip bone. She purred as she felt Arizona's fingers comb through her sweat soaked hair, pushing it back and tangling into her fingers. She gently bit the flesh she found, sucking it between her teeth, knowing she was breaking capiliaries and leaving a tell tale hickey in a place that only they would know and feeling so aroused at the knowledge that for a few days, Arizona's left hip would bear the mark; her mark. She licked at the bruise softly before kissing her way back up Arizona's torso, her bottom trailing along the skin almost as an afterthought. Arizona's breathed deeply, her baby blue eyes hidden underneath heavy lids, bottom lip clenched tightly between her perfect teeth. Callie's mouth hovered over Arizona's, eyes dark with lust as she pressed her right thigh against Arizona's wetness. Callie mentally chastised herself; they had been so pre-occupied with the feeling of skin on skin, they'd both kept their panties on. Laundry day would be interesting. She captured Arizona's lips with hers, amazed at how much desire was still inside Arizona as the blonde's hands made quick work of Callie's panties and cupped her bare bottom. She whimpered as she felt Arizona's fingers brush along her inner thigh and let herself roll to the left in bed, still wrapped up in Arizona's left arm while her right cruelly trailed along her lower extremities. She ran her right arm around Arizona's body, tugging at the underwear that she'd forgotten to take off. Their breathing hitched up as the anticipation of what was to come began building between them like a lightening storm.

Callie's eyes held Arizona's and they lay still, slicked in sweat in bed, surrounded by silence and wrapped up in each other. Arizona's mouth brushed against Callie's before she slipped inside, moaning as Callie repeated the same action, their bodies going ridgid with the sweet intrusion. Callie moaned as she slowly made herself felt to Arizona, who reciprocated at the same speed, neither of them wanting to end the sensations that coursed through their bodies any time soon. If she could, she would lay like this forever, buried underneath the sheets with Arizona, their bodies in perfect sync with one another, knowing that the other wanted without having to say a word. Callie's mouth found Arizona's right breast and she slowly teased it as she felt Arizona's mouth clamp around her shoulder, leaving a mark that neither would be ashamed of in the morning. The silence was filled with the sound of their low moans, giving and taking, sheets rumpled underneath two bodies locked in heated passion before Callie's eyes went wide as her body went limp and release claimed her. She kissed Arizona hard before climaxing again as Arizona gasped in orgasm. They lay still, panting heavily, slick with sweat in a messy bed. Arizona's head found Callie's chest and she pressed her ear to Callie's heart, listening to its slow decent from the high they had just shared.

"I love that sound." Arizona said, her voice honey thick.

"Which one? Me saying your name or my heart?" Callie replied, her fingers working small circles on Arizona's bare shoulders.

"Let's be diplomatic and say both." Arizona teased, tilting her head up to find Callie's lips.

"I like diplomacy…" said Callie. She adjusted the blankets as Arizona wriggled up to bury her face in the crook of her neck. "I like this a lot."

"Good."

Callie's eyes glided over the bare shoulder of the woman she had just made love to as she was back lit by the light trickling in from the window. Her hair formed a halo around her face and for a moment she was struck with how much Arizona had changed in her eyes. She was geninuely invested in breaking off their relationship because of their disagreement about kids; she was willing to live in that misery that the decision held but she wasn't willing to give up without a fight. Maybe she had grown up. Maybe she had to have heartache with George and drama with Mark to understand that she was capable of finding someone who would want to take the next step for her. Maybe Erica was a gateway but Arizona was her path and while the notion should've terrified her, she was strengthened by the fear and she couldn't feel it anymore, not with the skies over Seattle brightening with a new day and the warmth that Arizona brought to her life. She kissed the crown of Arizona's head, rolling to lay face to face with her and watched her sleep. They would face tomorrow together.