11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: This is AU. I do not own any of the characters from Grey's Anatomy. I just manipulate them to my will. Also, any line or phrase or setting that seems remotely familiar from any other show, movie or book, also not mine. I borrow…

AN: Another chapter! Yay! And it's a day early too LoL. Anyways, this one is a bit shorter than the rest, but it's the best place to cut it. So I'm hoping to have another update for you all by Friday. I realize that this may seem like a slow progression to you all but I find I favor stories with a nice slow burn at the front. So just hang with me, these two will get there I promise. You can't rush love people! Haha, ok. Enough rambling, on with the story. Last we left, Erica spilled the beans to Arizona and left her to go have a date night with Callie. Let's see how that night plays out. Enjoy!

Chapter 11

A knocking on the front door pulls Erica Hahn away from her reflection in the mirror. For the past ten minutes the blonde had been psyching herself up for tonight. Very rarely does this veteran player of Team USA become nervous, but if she were to harness the power of those butterflies fluttering in her stomach right now she's sure she could light Oklahoma City for a month.

At the door, blue eyes look down at her outfit one last time. "Too late now…" Erica mumbles to herself, really wishing she had gone with her blue top instead of the red. Her visitor knocks again, not use to having to wait to be let in, and it makes Hahn jump.

A deep breath and Erica opens the front door, revealing a very beautiful Latina. She takes a half a second to fully appreciate the sight before her. A toned, tanned body covered by skin tight jeans and a low scooped black top, topped off by the sexy leather jacket that seems to accompany Callie Torres everywhere. Hahn's tongue slips out of her mouth and licks at her lips, wondering why her throat has gone desert dry all of a sudden.

Callie notices the slight hesitation of her friend and clears her throat, blue eyes immediately snapping up to meet warm brown ones. Unleashing the full force of her megawatt smile, the Latina holds out a bottle of red wine and says "Got the booze."

"And I got the food." Erica replies, stepping aside so her guest can come in.

As she passes, Callie cruises her friend up and down. "Looking good, Hahn. Like you're dressed up for a date or something." A blush crosses Erica's face, and she just laughs while taking the bottle of wine from Callie.

The Latina makes herself at home in the living room, like every other night the two co-captains have spent together. Usually a girl's night consists of dinner and alcohol, talking about the team and its players, discussing other teams and its players, regaling each other with glory tales of past games, and just shooting the breeze. The only reason why Callie and Erica even started spending time together was because they both dislike most people. Basically, their entire friendship is built off of their shared disdain towards others.

"So how'd it go?" Callie asks, accepting a large glass of red wine from the blonde. Erica takes a seat on her couch next to the Latina, her brows furrowing in confusion. "With Robbins?" Callie explains. "You two… talked? Hopefully."

"Oh uh… fine." The older woman replies, trying to brush off the topic of a certain pitcher who only serves to rile Erica up even more.

"So no more fights on my field?" Torres asks, playfully nudging her friend with her knee which makes Erica's breath catch in her throat. "Gotta say, never really expected her to be so… feisty." The Latina muses, smiling to herself as she remembers how the newcomer was about to go toe to toe with the bigger woman next to her. That, plus the little stunt with the Mento's and coke on Amelia, shows Callie that her newest teammate isn't one to back down easily… and she likes that.

Blue eyes see that small smile crossing her crushes face as she thinks about Arizona, and jealousy stirs in the pit of her stomach. "More like immature." Erica growls, a single finger running over the rim of her wine glass.

Popping a small block of cheese in her mouth, Callie says "If I'm not mistaken, you were the one that initiated it. …I mean, you WERE supposed to cover the bunt while Arizona took third."

"Can we not talk about Robbins?" Hahn snaps before she can check herself, the use of Arizona's first name being a little too much for her right now. She catches the confused look her friend gives her, surprised by the reaction Arizona has on her. So Erica quickly adds "Or the team? I mean… we're supposed to be having a relaxing night. No shop talk."

"What else is there to talk about then?" Callie asks, causing a tense silence to fall between them. Erica is let off the hook when her co-captains phone starts to ring. The blonde leaves Torres in the living room to take the call while Erica goes back to the kitchen to check on dinner.

They eat in comfortable silence, a corny movie playing in the background to give them something to watch. Erica can't help but glance at the woman next to her, watching as Callie swallows her wine, smiling when the Latina's plump painted lips pull into a smile. The blonde has been battling herself all night on when, and how, to make a move. What kind of move should she make? Hand on the knee? A finger stroking a cheek? Just going right in for kiss number two? All these questions keep swirling around in her head, and Callie doesn't miss how distracted her friend seems to be tonight.

"Everything alright, Erica?" Callie asks as she pours herself a third glass of wine for the night. "You seem kind of… distracted."

"Uh yeah, I'm fine." The blonde covers. "Just… umm, I… I've been wanting to ask you something. And it's kinda… well…" Erica clears her throat and mentally slaps herself upside the head. What is wrong with her? It's not like Callie hasn't show interest, hell… the Latina kissed her back. With tongue. You don't do that just for show. Plus calling tonight a date? Yeah… she's definitely sending out the right signals.

"Just spit it out, Hahn." Torres says with her kind smile, a soft hand resting on Erica's bouncing knee.

"What is your stance on relationships… within the team?" The older woman asks, slapping herself AGAIN for just how lame that sounded.

Callie's eyes narrow as she tries to read the blonde in front of her because there has to be something more behind her question. Some reason or segway Erica just hasn't said yet. But then it clicks, the reason why Erica is so nervous about asking her. "Oh… I see." Callie sighs, and leans back into the couch. "I know exactly what you're talking about. And I've thought it too."

"You have?" Erica questions, her heart pounding as hope rises within her. Because all Hahn has been thinking about is getting her lips back on the gorgeous woman sitting in her apartment. Tasting the sweet wine on her tongue, combing her fingers through that pitch black hair. And if Callie has been thinking the same way… tonight is about to take a great turn.

"Yeah. Who hasn't? I mean… everyone sees it." The Latina replies nonchalantly.

"They do?" The blonde questions again. This is totally not how she thought this conversation would be going, though she's not really upset. Erica didn't count on the whole team knowing about their tongue tango, but hell… if they already know then that's one less reason why she and Callie shouldn't get together. "I mean… I know there were rumors but I didn't know the rest of the team actually knew. I know I didn't tell them. Did you?"

"I didn't need to." Callie answers, slightly confused at how seriously Erica is taking this conversation. It's not like this is news on the team. "Those two aren't exactly subtle."

This catches Erica's attention. "Wait…"

"I mean, Addison was trying to sneak Derek out of our apartment this morning. If the grunting and… head board banging late into the night wasn't enough to tip me off." Callie adds, completely oblivious that Addison and Derek's relationship is NOT what her friend was leading on to. "I know it's difficult, because Addison is a friend. But still… I'm just as wary as you are that whatever they are doing is going to come back and bite us all in the ass. And God forbid if Derek is stupid enough to actually start something with Grey because… I don't know if Addy can come back from that. Not in time to keep this team together."

The blonde takes a long drag at her wine, finishing it in one gulp. "Right." She adds, realizing that she and Callie aren't on the same page after all. Upending the wine bottle, all Erica gets is a few drops. So taking this as a way to get some distance, she stands and says "More wine?" Without even waiting for a response, the catcher strides out of the living room and seeks the privacy of her kitchen.

"Coward." Hahn mumbles to herself. "Get a grip, Hahn. She likes you. Addison saw it. You saw it. She kissed you back. So get out there and get your girl. …But don't be too pushy. Let her come to you."

"Hey." Callie cuts her off, walking into the kitchen with two dirty plates in her hands. Brown eyes are a little glassy and her skin flushed from the three glasses of wine she had with dinner. "Were you just talking to yourself?"

Skipping over the question, Erica uncorks another bottle of wine and fills up her guest's glass while asking "Refill?"

A small smile crosses plump lips and Callie Torres readily takes another long drag at the sweet liquid before saying "If I didn't know better, Hahn, I'd say you were trying to get me drunk." The raven haired catcher laughs a deep belly laugh while sashaying back out into the living room, Erica right behind her and adding her own forced laugh.

They settle back down on the couch and Callie's head lies back against the plush cushions, a contented sigh escaping stained lips. "You know, after Sunday night I swore I'd never drink again. But… here I am." She says, laughing a bit more than a sober person would at their own joke. Kicking up her feet onto the coffee table, Torres scrunches down further in the couch and lets her body relax. "At least here I won't make a complete fool out of myself."

"Well, you were pretty hammered that night." Erica replies, scooting a little closer to her guest as she too relaxes into her couch and muting the TV. "But you didn't embarrass yourself too much. …Just a little bit." The blonde plays and gets a light smack from her guest.

"Oh really? How?" The Latina asks, tipping her head to the side and staring up into steel blue ones. This is Erica's shot, her moment. If she were to lean in just four inches their lips would meet again. And the blonde is sure that it would be just as amazing and earth shattering as their first one kiss.

And even through the haze of alcohol, Callie senses the change in her friends mood. Her voice dropping an octave, the Latina says "It looks like you want to kiss me…"

"Would that be so bad?" Hahn whispers, not moving a centimeter in either direction. She doesn't pull away, but she doesn't lean in either. The blonde's response catches the younger captain off guard, and before she even realizes it brown eyes are leaving blue and finding thin lips just a few inches from hers. Erica sees this and takes it as a green light, so screwing up her courage she slowly leans in.

Brown eyes start to flutter closed, but then Arizona's face flashes in front of her mind and suddenly Callie jumps off the couch. "No!" She yelps, making Erica pull back. "I mean yes. I mean…" Tanned hands rub the Latina's face roughly as she tries to wipe the alcohol from her mind and lips. "I… We can't."

"Why not?" Erica pleads, suddenly feeling very stupid and vulnerable. Two things that Hahn is not use to feeling like.

"Because!" Callie exclaims. "Because we are captains and teammates and friends and…" You're not the right blonde. At least, that's what she wants to add, but she doesn't. "Because it would screw everything up. I can't do this. WE can't do this, Erica. We were just talking about Addison and Derek throwing us ALL under the bus. …And I'm not about to do that to my team."

The Latina sees her close friend and co-captain literally deflate where she sits, and it makes her feel guilty. She's not exactly sure where along the way the blonde had developed feelings for her, but Callie wasn't oblivious to the way Erica had been more flirtatious with her lately. She just didn't know Erica felt strongly enough to chance a kiss. Maybe she should have had this talk with her sooner, saved both of them the awkwardness and hard feelings.

Retaking the seat next to Hahn, Callie places a hand on the woman's knee and says "I like you Erica, you're one of my best friends. And I don't want to mess that up. I don't exactly have the best track record with relationships. I just… I can't do this with you."

Erica grinds her teeth, rejection and hurt filling her body and yet she can't pull away from the Latina's touch. "Didn't stop you before." She growls, the words slipping out before she even knows she saying them. Cold blue eyes meet caring brown ones, and Erica adds "You were happy to play tonsil tennis with Robbins."

These words make Callie freeze. "What?" Everything within her just stops, her heart, her breathing, her brain. Everything stops.

Addison Montgomery stumbles out of the storage shed and steps into the dark Oklahoma City night. A hand runs through ragged hair as the other works on straightening her pants and blouse. The flush crossing her face starts to fade as the woman takes slow and steadying breaths, trying to fix her appearance so that her roommates very discerning eyes don't catch on to the fact that she just had her third tryst of the day.

She knocks softly on the shed door, signaling her partner that the coast is clear. An equally unkempt looking Derek Shepard slips out into the night and zips up his pants. The two look around, always on the lookout for a watching eye. They exchange a tight smile and an awkward goodbye before the Coach heads in one direction and the redhead another.

Just as Addison is rounding the corner of one of the fields, the eerie moonlight glow illuminates some sort of figure sitting in the center of the diamond. The complex lights are off, and the security lights are too far away to aid the player in seeing who… or what… could possibly be trespassing on USA property. Suddenly wishing she grabbed her purse, a can of mace in it at all times, the redhead tiptoes her way out onto the field. No one comes out to the fields at night, not this late at least, and the few times that someone might actually want to be out here, they flip on the field lights.

The redhead inches closer and closer, but then the shape starts to come into focus, and she can make out the faint glow of golden hair waving in the slight breeze.

Arizona hears someone approaching, but doesn't turn to look who it is. Only a handful of people would ever be out here this late, if at all, and she's doubtful that the few on Team USA who don't like her would actually cause deliberate physical harm. So instead, she stays seated in the pitching circle, her gaze locked towards home plate forty six feet in front of her and the full moon rising behind it. There are a few empty bottles littering around her and she's lost track of how long she's actually been out on the dirt. And frankly, she doesn't care. The fact that she has an unobstructed view of the apartment parking lot, which is currently without a very distinctive T-Bird, is purely coincidental.

Addison stops right beside the sitting blonde, unsure what to say because these two have yet to have a real conversation. But the newcomer looks lost and confused, and Addison herself feels like she is rowing the same boat. And besides… they are teammates. Aren't they supposed to have each other's back on the ball diamond? And they ARE, after all, on the ball diamond right now.

"This seat taken?" The redhead asks, already lowering herself to the ground.

"Nope." The blonde replies, then takes a pull at her warming drink. "Beer?" She asks, blindly grabbing one of the three left in her six pack and handing it to the woman beside her.

"Sure." Addison answers. The two sit like that, drinking beer and staring at the moon for a couple minutes. The redhead isn't sure what to say, and the blonde is happy not saying anything. She's been too busy thinking. …About everything. And that's a lot to think about.

"So… what brings you out here tonight?" The veteran asks after the awkward silence becomes too much for her. Robbins takes a deep breath, then lets it all blow out as she tries to form a coherent sentence. But everything in her brain is so screwed up at this moment that nothing makes sense, so the only response Addison gets is a light, forced laugh. But the redhead doesn't accept that so she continues to wait.

And after fifteen more seconds, Arizona whispers "Things." Realizing that's about as much as she's going to get, Addison nods and takes a drag at her beer, the warm bitter liquid not really her choice of beverage but right now any alcohol is good alcohol.

"Yeah… me too." The redhead sighs.

"I thought Derek Shepard is what brought you out here tonight." The blonde states point blank, making her teammates jaw drop in surprise. "That shed isn't exactly sound proof." Arizona adds when she doesn't get a reply from her guest. And the blonde just smiles as Addison buries her face in her hands.

"Perfect." She growls and tries to think back to when her own life has started to slip through her fingers. It wasn't that long ago that she and Derek had a good marriage. It wasn't perfect, they fought… a lot. But still, there was love and that's all that you need to make things work. And now… now the veteran player is sneaking her soon to be ex-husband out of her apartment, meeting up with him in his office between practices, and having midnight hookups in the team's equipment shed. How has it all fallen apart?

Blue eyes finally glance to the woman beside her, and Arizona can just make out the pained look of regret and remorse filling her teammates face. The redhead looks as bad as the blonde feels. "Well… you're in luck, Red. Because in this circle…" Arizona says, pointing to the chalk line that circles the pitching rubber "It's a judgment free zone. What is said in the circle stays in the circle."

"I don't know what the hell I'm doing." Addison sighs, then starts to pick at the label of her beer. "I fought for him, and then I let him go. And now… now when I thought I'd be alright without him we just keep… screwing things up."

"If you're looking on advice on relationships, you've come to the wrong girl." The blonde states simply. Arizona hasn't exactly been successful when it comes to that part of life. Not for the lack of trying though, the blonde just hasn't found the right woman.

"You know… I never thought I'd end up alone." The redhead whispers, staring up into the dark heavens and seeking some form of guidance. Or advice. …Anything would do, really.

"Oh come on. You still got time. Just because Shepard gave up fighting for you doesn't mean you're done." Arizona replies, making Addison turn and meet blue eyes. "You're a beautiful woman, and from the limited conversations we've had, you're not a total bitch. So don't give up hope." The veteran gives a tight smile, surprised that this woman, of all women she knows and spends time, is the one trying to pull her up out of the metaphorical dirt she feels like she is rolling in.

"And if it makes you feel better… I'd do you." Arizona adds just as Addison is taking a drink and beer immediately comes flying from the veterans mouth.

Half choking, half laughing, Addison smiles and replies "You know what? That does make me feel better."

Arizona chuckles, flashing her dimpled smile for the briefest of seconds. "Good. Glad I could help."She whispers. Silence falls upon them again, Arizona taking slow drags at her beer, and Addison demolishing the paper label, both trying to sort out more questions than they could list.

"What about you?" Addison asks. "Are you sleeping with anyone who wants to divorce you and shack up with a woman half your age… and IQ level?"

The bitterness in her teammate's voice makes the blonde smirk. "Nope. Can't say that I am. Currently flying solo on that level."

Addison Montgomery hesitates for a second, unsure if what she is about to ask should be asked. She did promise Hahn that she wouldn't bring it up to anyone. But this is the circle of no judgment, Arizona said it herself. What is said in the circle, stays in the circle.

"What about kissing? Have you kissed anyone… interesting… lately?" The redhead cringes, her question not being smooth at all. Blue eyes narrow, and Arizona looks over at her fellow drinker, studying the guilty look on Addison's face.

Then a soft sarcastic laugh falls from the blonde's lips. "Why am I not surprised?" Arizona asks rhetorically. It seems that bullshit runs through this team faster than half of them can run the bases.

"Amelia." Addison states. "She… she told me. Said she walked in on you and-"

"Of course she did." Robbins cuts the woman off, suddenly realizing how that rumor got started. Amelia Shepard, drunk half off her ass, came stumbling into the bathroom and took two plus two, and morphed it into equaling thirty seven.

Arizona stares up at the moon, and it feels like the weight of the entire world is resting on her shoulders at this exact moment. "If you can think of a reason, any reason at all, why the universe is so screwed up and random and mean, now would be an amazingly good time to tell me because I really need some answers."

Green eyes watch the newcomer as Addison tries to figure out what has the blonde so depressed, so lost. She's never been really friendly towards Arizona, but she hasn't been out right rude either. And to know that someone else on her team feels just as hopeless as she does helps to open the redheads eyes a little bit. After all, misery does love company.

So with a deep breath, Addison replies "Life is short. And it sucks a lot of the time."

The two sit in silence for a couple seconds, chewing over what the other has said. Then Arizona says "That's surprisingly unhelpful." A laugh falls from both sets of lips, but it does little to lighten the atmosphere around them. Blue eyes look across the complex and find a still empty parking spot that has housed a certain T-Bird since the blonde joined the team. And Arizona's heart can only sink as she realizes Callie is still out… on her date. …With Erica Hahn.

"So… did you kiss Callie?" The redhead questions again, because Addison can't believe that her friend would do that. Not in a dirty bar bathroom, not with someone on their team… and definitely not when the rest of the team was just ten feet away. But she also didn't believe that Erica would shove her tongue down the Latina's throat. So…Addison Montgomery doesn't have the best track record.

Pink lips purse, Arizona thinking on that question for a couple seconds. Of course, she knows the truth. It seems like Arizona is the ONLY person on the team that remembers the entire night. But somehow… deep within her… past the barrier she has set up to protect her from those gorgeous brown eyes and breath taking smile, Arizona Robbins wants it to be true. At least that way she would have ONE kiss with Callie, instead of none and no chance of ever getting one.

"On this team, I don't think it really matters…" The newcomer muses, swirling the last quarter of her beer around the bottom of her bottle while staring at that empty parking spot across the street. "…whether something is true or not." Addison just nods slightly, agreeing with her co-drinker on the fact that this team's gossip mill is worst than most medical drama's.

"Either way, nothing would come of it." The blonde announces, making the redhead glance over at her. "I'm happy alone. I'm not here to kiss girls. I'm here to play ball, win a gold medal… maybe see some of London, then go home. Anything else is just a distraction." Arizona adds, giving herself the same speal she has been giving herself over and over and over again. Both women finish their drinks and set them on the dirt next to them.

"Suppose we should head in." Addison states even though she doesn't really feel like leaving the circle of no judgment.

"Guess so." Arizona sighs, also not too keen on heading inside just yet. Mainly because she doesn't want to have to address a certain rumor that has no doubt made its way around the team already. But there is also the reason that her bedroom window doesn't look down on the apartment parking lot, or the entrance to apartment 16 where as her seat in the dirt is a clear line of sight to exactly where Callie would pull into.

Then the pitcher looks down at her six pack and sees two more beers left just staring back at her. "Or… we could have another beer." The blonde suggests, taking one for herself and handing the last, sweat laddened, bottle to the red head sitting next to her.

"Definitely." Addison replies, taking the glass bottle and giving Arizona a smile. The two share a look, then twist off the tops and clink the necks together before falling back into silence as the luke warm liquid slides down their throats.

AN2: Hmmm… what the hell is happening? ! Haha. Erica made a move, got rejected then told Callie she kissed Arizona. How will Callie respond to that? Anyone notice that Erica DIDN'T mention that she kissed Callie? Hmm… and What about Arizona getting all chummy with Addison? Unexpected? And will her 'it's not personal, its business' attitude help or hinder things in chapters to come? So much juicy drama, I can't stand it. Let me know what you all think! Much love.