14. Chapter 14

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: Next chapter is finally ready. It's a long one, so get comfy and Enjoy!

Chapter 14

Brown eyes watch as the Oklahoma landscapes races past the window, Team USA finally loaded up and on their way to the first of many stop along their journey to the Olympics. The hard thumping of her music invades her ears and the Latina lets her mind wander. They've only been on the bus a few hours, but already everything feels comfortable. Glancing away from the large window next to her, she looks towards the front of the large tour bus and finds her coach's heads sticking up from the first few rows. Behind them the team's two trainers have taken a row of benches and both Alex Karev and Jackson Avery are off in their own little worlds. Thirteen other women are littered throughout the rest of the cabin, everyone spreading out and claiming their territory for the large amount of time they will be stuck within this vehicle.

It's easy to see the friendships and ties each player has to one another this way. Grey and Yang have taken benches directly across from one another, whereas Erica Hahn is way up front, as far away from Callie and a certain other player as she can get. Charlotte and Amelia have taken their own little area to themselves and Kepner and Little Grey have as well.

Being in the far back, having the raised bench seat all to herself, Callie can't help but find the blonde curled up only two rows in front of her. Arizona was already seated when the Latina boarded, and they exchanged an easy smile and the Latina passed her and claimed the back for her own. The catcher's mouth goes dry thinking about spending three weeks watching and dreaming about the woman just five feet from her.

After a couple hours on the road, Callie's mind not resting a second the entire time, she decides to break the ice. After all, they ARE teammates. They should be able to talk freely and comfortably. Besides, Arizona has a certain set of skills that the Latina could really use right now.

Pulling her ear buds from her ears, Callie stands and walks the few feet forward to the seats Arizona is currently residing in. The blonde has her head buried in a book, attempting to study to keep her mind off the beautiful captain seated just behind her.

Clearing her throat to catch Robbins attention, blue eyes snapping up to find brown, Callie smiles and asks "This seat taken?"

"Not at all, Boss." Arizona replies with an equally friendly smile. Placing the heavy backpack crammed with all her notes and books in another seat, the pitcher gestures for the brunette to sit next to her. Just as Callie is lowering herself, the bus swerves out of now where making the captain fall into the seat. But she doesn't find just the empty seat, instead falling into Arizona.

They both laugh, looking away from each other to tame the blush that has ripped across both sets of cheeks before settling into a tense silence.

"So…" Callie drawls, unsure how to get to where she wants. "A doctor huh?"

A forced chuckle falls from pink lips. "Smooth opening, Torres." Arizona teases then flips her open textbook closed. Normally this would be the time that she would find some sort of exit out of the conversation, but for some reason she wants to talk to Callie. …Talk with Callie. About everything.

Callie just smiles and dips her head, mentally face palming herself. But seeing as Arizona is only the second woman she has ever tried to get to know on a more… personal level, she chalks it up to just being a little green.

"When you said you were older than me… I didn't think you were THAT much older than me." Callie plays, looking for something to get the blonde to open up a bit more.

"Mmmm." Arizona hums, a dimpled grin making its way across her face. "Well I'm not THAT old." When all she gets in reply is a disbelieving raised eyebrow, the blonde explains. "I started school a year early and I skipped the third grade. Plus I did my undergrad in two and a half years." She's not trying to gloat… well, maybe a little, but Arizona doesn't want her or the rest of the team thinking she is some sort of grandma.

"Right." Callie drawls, just loving how easy this little playful banter is between them. "So what's your specialty?"

"You tell me." The blonde questions, tipping her head in a cute little way that makes Callie chuckle.

"Hmmm… brains?" The Latina chances but gets a sour face from the pitcher. "Hearts?" Blonde locks wave back and forth as Arizona shakes her head no. "Bones?"

"Please. These hands are for making magic, not carpentry." Arizona replies, holding up her hands for display and deciding to bypass the little innuendo her mind seems to have slipped into her remark.

Callie, however, doesn't miss it but takes a cue from the blonde and ignores it as well. "A pediatrician. Yeah, I can see that about you." The Latina states, giving the woman a theatrical look up and down as if appraising her for the first time.

"No no. I'm not a pediatrician. I'm a pediatric surgeon." Robbins corrects her captain. "I don't do little diseases on little people. I do big surgeries… on little people." They both share a laugh, Callie nervously playing with the iPod clenched firmly between her hands.

"Hey… umm, I was wondering if I could ask you a question." The Latina states, peeking up and finding blue eyes staring back intently. "What do you know about a drug named… Cele-celecoxib?" Out of all the things Arizona had immediately listed in her mind, that was not what she thought Callie was going to ask her. The catcher sees the look of confusion, mistaking it for something else and asks "Do you know it? Am I saying it-"

"No, Cal. I- yeah, I know what Celecoxib is." Arizona quickly covers, pulling on her mask of professionalism again after letting it slip for the few minutes they've been talking back and forth. "Ummm… It's a generic anti-inflammatory. Nonsteroidal. Treats pains of various origins." The pitcher explains, then asks "Are you ok? That hit yesterday looked pretty bad. I could write you a-"

"No, no. Arizona, no. It's not that." Callie immediately answers, and she'd be lying if she said she didn't like how the blonde was worried about her health. "Just, someone I know was given it recently and I was just curious." She adds, and figures that what Amelia told her must be the truth.

Days blur into passing days. Mile after mile flies by the team as their tour bus whisks them all over the states. Starting in Oklahoma they headed west to California where they stopped and played against a couple of teams over the span of a few days. And then Team USA would pack up again and hit the road, heading to the next set of teams willing to put up a fight. During those long, boring days on the bus Callie would make the effort to move those few feet and sit next to Arizona. Sometimes she would bring a cup of coffee from the gas station they just stopped at, or other times the Latina would insist that the blonde listen to a song that just popped up on her iPod. Anything that would allow her the chance to spend time with and talk a little bit more with the mysterious woman. And the catcher can feel her newest teammate slowly letting down her guard.

After their second stop of their trip, the bus headed east and passing through the very large state of Texas, Callie plucks up her courage again. Arizona can feel the Latina move behind her, in fact, every hour of every day spent on the bus the blonde has been aware of everything Callie has done. Even through the beat of her music, Robbins can feel the woman who has been haunting her dreams approach.

And without even asking, because the seat is free… actually it's been free since that first time Callie asked to sit next to her… the Latina plops down next to the blonde. Tipping the package of gummi worms towards her captain, Arizona silently asks if the catcher wants one. And with a breathtaking smile Callie grabs a red one from the top and bites half of it off with vigor.

"You're weird." Arizona muses, watching as the other woman pulls the gummi worm further and further away from her clenched teeth until the substance finally gives. Callie just smiles and bumps the blondes shoulder while chewing on her eviscerated worm.

Despite her efforts and the repeated mental lectures, Arizona can't help but grow more and more enamored with the Latina. Everything about her makes Arizona smile, makes her heart pound, skin tingle and stomach knot. The way Callie stretches out on the back bench, her shirt riding up just enough for blue eyes to catch the slightest sliver of toned, tanned skin below. The way the catcher sings to herself along with her music as the loud rock noise keeps the newcomer from studying. But most of all, Arizona can hardly keep her tongue in her mouth when Callie strides out in her catchers gear and takes command of the field. The way the Latina leads her team, a watchful eye over all of her teammates and intimidates even the toughest opponents. …It's enough to make a certain blonde a little hot under the collar.

"I'm not the thirty year old eating gummi worms." Callie counters, pulling the newcomer out of her little day dream.

Arizona's mouth drops in shock. "I'm not thirty! How rude."

Torres lets out a deep belly laugh, one that stirs a couple of their teammates out of their light slumber, then says "Fine, so how old ARE you, Dr. Robbins?" The blonde mumbles something but Callie doesn't hear it. "Excuse me? What was that?" The Latina asks in a raised voice.

"Put a sock in it Torres!" Yang yells from a few benches up. "Some of us are trying to sleep."

Laughing at the outburst, Arizona leans in an inch and trying to ignore the goose bumps that have rippled over her skin, she whispers. "Twenty eight… and three quarters."

"Three quarters?" Callie questions, her smile nearly blinding the blonde right next to her. "What are you, eight?" This gets the woman a playful shove from Arizona, the two of them laughing quietly while the rest of the bus in front of them either sleeps or is off in their own little world. "That's not too old, I suppose." She plays, then eyes the bare goose bump covered shoulder right next to her. The pink and purple butterfly now has somewhat of a 3D aspect and the catcher can't resist bringing up a single finger and running it over dimpled flesh.

As soon as Callie touches her, Arizona's face ignites in a deep blush, one that the Latina doesn't see because she is too enthralled with the ink. Neither of them say a word as Callie takes her time exploring and studying the tattoo, her finger finding that hidden scar from long ago. The same scar that took Arizona out of the game just when she thought she was at her peak.

"I wasn't lying, you know." Arizona whispers after a long, and surprisingly intimate minute. Brown eyes flick up to blue but Callie doesn't remove her finger from the pitchers shoulder. "About when I got it? I wasn't lying… I did get drunk one night. But…" Her words fade out as a painful memory starts to flash across the front of her mind.

"But what, Arizona?" Callie asks in all but a breath. "There's more to the tattoo, isn't there?"

Blue eyes find brown just inches from hers, and she can feel Callie slowly peeling back those walls she built. The ones that were suppose to protect Arizona from getting hurt, protect herself from hurting the team. But something about them, they just pull her in. The warmth and the depth and the soul in those chocolate eyes are something that Arizona never expected, never thought could exist.

With a deep breath, Arizona starts a story that she hasn't retold since the ink made its way onto her skin. "It was my second year of residency at Johns Hopkins. And… I was still unsure of what specialty I wanted to declare. Yeah, I had plenty of time to figure it out but it seemed like everyone I entered into the program already knew what they wanted to do. Neuro, Cardio… General. Hell, there was even this shy, stutter-y guy that was amazing at Trauma. But me? I was like… floundering, you know?" Callie doesn't reply, afraid that any word from her lips will kill the mood and right now the captain really wants to hear what happened to this mysterious blonde.

"I had been assigned this peds case, a little girl that required multiple visits to the hospital. …It wasn't my first peds case, and to be honest I didn't really like Peds. Kids just aren't… my thing. But this little girl was something different. Something special. She was so sweet, and amazing. And strong. …As a doctor you're taught, you're told to remain distant from your patients. To keep that distance because getting too close could cloud your judgment, make you partial or biased. Well… I failed miserably with this girl. Every day I would spend time with her, laughing and playing and… and she loved to draw butterflies. That's all she drew, Calliope. …Butterflies. When you walked into her room, it was like stepping into butterfly heaven." A tear escapes crystal clear eyes but she keeps going.

"One morning, I came to work early like I always did. I would sneak her in a cinnamon roll and we would laugh, talk about butterflies or horses or unicorns until my shift begun. But that morning she went into multiple organ failure. I rushed her off to surgery, promising her parents I would save her. …I promised HER that she would be ok. I swore. I took her tiny, weak hand in mine and I stared into her eyes. …And I told her that she would be ok. But when we got in there… it was…" Tears are now steadily flowing down Arizona's cheek but neither of them make the move to brush them away.

Finally meeting brown eyes, Callie's heart breaking for this woman as she witnesses the pain it brings up in Arizona, the pitcher finishes. "She died. …On my table, Calliope. She died right there on my table and I could bring her back. I tried. I tried to bring her back but she just… she wouldn't come back. My attending had to pull my hands out of her chest cavity because I wouldn't stop pumping this girl's heart for her. This girl that I had spent months and months and months with, getting to know her and laughing and talking with her… she was gone. And I couldn't do anything about it."

Wiping at her eyes, Arizona lets out a forced laugh. "I've lost patients before. I've lost kids before but this one… she was different. It was like I was losing a loved one, because I did. I loved her. Maybe not in the same way has her parents did, but I did love her. She was my friend."

"What was her name?" Callie asks, her voice thick with emotion and unshed tears.

"Sofia." Arizona whispers. "And she was… everything good about life wrapped up into a beautiful six year old. …So, after a day of crying my eyes out, I got drunk. Cried some more. And…"

"Ended up getting a tattoo of a butterfly." Callie finishes for her. The blonde nods solemnly, staring deep into dark eyes and wanting nothing more than to feel the Latina touch her again. Because she is sure that if there is anyone out there, anyone at all that can make the pain filling her life disappear it's this woman.

And as if she can read Arizona's mind, Callie places a warm hand on stained flesh before her. Blue eyes close as the pad of the Latina's thumb ghosts back and forth across naked skin, soothing and comforting the blonde as much as she dares to. "It's beautiful." Callie whispers, not even sure if she is actually saying the words or just thinking them. But Arizona hears it and nods.

"Why did you pick peds then?" Torres asks, removing her hand from the woman's shoulder before she crosses a line that would be dangerous for not only her, but for the whole team.

"Because I wanted to believe in magic too. Just like Sofia did. …And the next time a kid ended up on my table with the same condition as Sofia, a 7 year old name Matthew, he made it. He lived. He woke up after surgery and went home. And so did the one after him, and the next. And the next. …Because of Sofia, what I learned from her has saved more lives than I can count. And I call that magic." The pitcher answers, a smile forming on her face for the first time in twenty minutes.

Lifting a finger and catching one last tear as it streaks down a fair cheek, Callie whispers "Me too."

Callie Torres fights to find sleep. The large double bed would normally welcome her, draw her into deep, restful dreams. But not this morning, not now. Because whenever Callie closes her eyes, she sees the face of a woman she can't get out of her mind. Blonde hair hanging perfectly over fair, tattooed shoulders, or pulled up beautifully into a ponytail as the pitcher takes the mound. Everything about Arizona has the Latina enamored. Her mysteriousness, the strength lurking behind glacial eyes. The pain buried deep down that Callie has only recently tasted. It was just yesterday that Arizona opened up, told the captain one of her most painful secrets. And now… now the Latina can't get it out of her mind.

Sitting up in her bed she looks over to the double bed next to hers and finds Addison sprawled out, taking up the entire bed and the faintest of mumblings falling from her lips. A snarl curls Callie's mouth, hating that her friend can sleep so easily when it's such a problem for the catcher. Flopping back down in the soft sheets, dark eyes close and the Latina's tries to clear her mind. Then sheep pop up in her vision, and a fence. Slowly, they jump over the fence as a quiet voice in her mind counts them. And still… sleep evades her.

Pupils widen as she opens her eyes again, finding darkness around her. Turning her head, the angry red light from the bedside clock reads 4:51 am. An hour no one should be up at. Growling, Callie reaches next to her and finds a pillow, pulling it over her eyes.

"Please…" She groans, begging for sleep. Minutes pass, but the calm never comes. Bolting up again, she throws the pillow to the closest wall and climbs out of bed. Addison barely flinches as her roommate grabs a set of workout clothes, changes, then walks out of their hotel room.

The halls of the hotel are quiet, most of the floor holding the rest of her teammates, coaches, and trainers. The Team isn't due anywhere until 11, which means Callie probably won't see anyone else until 10:30.

Because she's in a foreign city, the Latina decides to forgo running outside and instead heads to the hotel's workout room. She needs to run, to clear her mind and set things back into perspective. But that goal goes flying out the window as soon as the catcher steps into the cardio room. There, not even ten feet in front of her, is the very shapely ass of one Arizona Robbins. The blonde obviously hasn't heard Callie enter, so brown eyes watch as the newcomer slowly lowers her body, moving smoothly from one Yoga pose to the next.

Normally Callie isn't one to call Yoga a workout, and watching Arizona do it only strengthens this resolve. It's not a workout, it's an art. A beautiful art. The way toned arms strain as the blonde supports her weight while her head points straight up into the air. A deep breath from Arizona makes Callie breathe as well. Then she smoothly moves into the next pose, and the next. All the while Callie stands there, entranced by the woman and her fluid movements. The calmness that is over Arizona draws the Latina in, wishing she too could find that kind of calm in the world full of chaos.

A slow breathe is blown out of pink lips as Arizona moves to the next pose, her eyes opening and finding her captain there, staring at her. Clearing her throat, the catcher attempts to recover from being caught ogling the woman in yoga pants and a tight tank top. "Uhh… morning, Battleship." She stammers, ungluing her feet from the floor and moving to the empty treadmill.

"Morning Calliope." Arizona replies with a smile, then moves to the next pose.

Callie nervously starts up the treadmill and warms up. She tries to remain cool, but the mirrored wall in front of her doesn't help matters because now she has a perfect view of Arizona's chest. Glorious cleavage fills her eyes as Arizona moves from one pose to the other. Mile after mile passes beneath pounding feet, all the while brown eyes take full advantage of the well placed mirror. The Latina isn't quite sure how long she spends staring at the blonde, but it's a second too long because her foot catches the side of the machine, knocking her off balance.

Arizona is startled out of her routine, looking up and watching as her captain fights to stay on her feet. A bright blush rushes across tanned skin when Callie finds her gaze, pulling the emergency stop and ending her run miles before she is usually done. Arizona chews on her bottom lip, trying to keep the fit of laughter buried deep, not wanting to embarrass the younger woman by laughing in her face about nearly falling. But when Callie herself starts to laugh, Arizona readily joins with her.

Callie wipes the sweat collected on her forehead off with a white rag while watching Arizona roll up her mat, stowing it back where it came from next to the set of dumbbells that lines one side of the room. "You uhhh… you want to get some coffee?" Callie asks, not wanting to go back to her room with a sleeping redhead. But more importantly, she doesn't want to leave the company of her teammate.

"Yeah, I'd like that." Arizona replies with a dimpled smile. "And this time it's on me." She adds, hip checking the Latina as she passes on her way to the exit.

"What the hell are you looking for?" Teddy asks as she walks out of the bathroom, her shiny red shorts and flowing blue jersey hanging from her body. The first baseman watches from the reflection in the mirror as her roommate digs through her purse, silently cursing to herself as she tosses item after item from the bag.

"Robbins, you need to get changed. We're due downstairs in 10." Altman adds while pulling her long hair into a ponytail.

"Where is it?" Arizona growls. "Damn it, I know it's in here somewhere."

"What?" Teddy asks, stepping up next to her friend.

"My… my prescription pad. I know it was in here." The blonde answers, finally upending the bag and letting its entire contents come spilling out. Tubs of lip gloss, her wallet, pieces of scrap paper, gum, mints, a spare pack of cigarettes just in case, and her iPod all fall out onto the bed. But no prescription pad. There is no real particular reason why it hit her all of a sudden, but just as she and Callie had parted earlier this morning, she realized it had been weeks since she's seen her pad. Actually, the last time was right about when she joined the team.

"Torres, Hahn, get over here." Coach Sloan hollers as Team USA is warming up for their scrimmage against some ranked Texas college team. The two captains give each other a look, but Hahn ends it abruptly with a roll of her eyes. And Callie is certain that eye was directed at her, not at Mark. "Robbins, Shepard, you too. Over here." The man adds.

The four women jog over to their pitching and catching coach where he is going over the lineup with both Hunt and Derrick Shepard. "What's up, Mark?" Amelia sneers, her head pounding and stomach rolling just from being out in the hot summer sun.

"Webber wants to switch it up a little. Robbins and Torres will be the first battery. You and Hahn will be relief." Sloan states matter of factly, not even looking up from his play book.

Callie and Arizona share a smile while Amelia and Erica snap "WHAT? !"

"I'M first string!" Amelia exclaims, quickly drawing the attention of the rest of Team USA, as well as that of the Texan team. Derrick head snaps up as he hears his sister go into a rage, along with Owen. They aren't newcomers when it comes to the wrath of women, but the fury in Amelia's eyes is dark and scary. "Not Utah! I've been busting my ass for-"

"Can it, Shepard!" Callie yells, making everyone in their small circle jump. "Sloan says your relief, you pitch relief. You will ride that alpine until you are brought into the game. Try being part of the team for once, and not just a solo player." The Latina meets the glare radiating off of Amelia, and she doesn't back down. Callie is tired of it being all about Amelia, all about being first string and making sure Arizona is always a step behind.

Hahn watches as two of her oldest teammates quarrel with one another. She never thought she'd see Callie call Amelia out like that. Of course, Shepard is a bit selfish and self centered, but she has the talent to back it up. Being an ace on the field makes up for a lot of flaws off the field, and for years the co-captains let her little attitude problem slide. But now Erica's jaw clenches as she witnesses Callie finally snap. …All because it would give Arizona a shot to move up in the standings.

The veteran pitcher wants to lash out, wants to let her words go flying but she doesn't. Instead she bites her tongue and turns on her heel. Hahn follows, but not before sending a look that could kill to the other blonde.

"Well Battleship…" Callie drawls, gaining the attention of the blonde pitcher. "Guess we should get you warmed up." And suddenly the butterflies start to flutter like mad within Arizona's stomach. It's not just pitching anymore, or pitching for the best team in the country. But now she is pitching to the best catcher on the best team in the country… who Arizona just so happens to have the largest crush on in recorded history. What could go wrong?

A smirk plays across Mark Sloan's face, one that is mirrored in Hunt's, Shepard's, and Webber's, as the four coaches witness a piece of perfection. It's a rare thing when a pitcher and catcher just… click. But watching Arizona Robbins tear through Texas batter after Texas batter, all the while Callie calling each pitch, they know it's happened here. How Mark didn't see it before, why he didn't put them two together earlier, he doesn't know. But now that he has seen it, he can't go back to the way things were before. Not when it's a perfect as this.

The feeling of being on fire, being untouchable runs through the veins of Arizona Robbins. She can't remember the last time she's lit up the circle like this before, but she can't help but think that it has something to do with the woman behind the plate. The one that keeps her focused, the one that directs the field. Callie's the best for a reason, but with Arizona… she's better. The entire team can feel the energy shift. They worked well before, but now with Arizona on the mound and Callie behind the plate… they are smooth as ice.

"Strike three. YOU'RE OUT!" The home plate ump calls, and Arizona cashes in her second strikeout of the inning. Callie tosses the back towards the mound while she and Arizona jog off the field in the direction of their bench. Four innings in, and the Latina can't believe how well the blonde is doing. Sure… it has something to do with her catcher, but Arizona has raised her game to a whole other level.

"Nice shooting, Battleship." Callie purrs, sending the blonde a playful wink as she starts to pull off her catching gear.

Stepping behind the Latina and helping her with the chest guard clasps, Arizona replies "Had a hell of a target, Torres." Luckily for Callie, her back is to the blonde so Robbins can't see the blush break across her face, and when she turns back blue eyes take in the megawatt smile her captain is giving her. Their gazes meet, neither knowing what to say and neither wanting to break this little spell.

But Coach Shepard yelling "Top of the order. Robbins, you're up!" breaks them apart.

Taking a step back, putting another foot between them, Arizona gives Callie a dimpled smile before grabbing her batting glove and bat. "Start us off, Robbins." Torres says the blonde walks around the fence and approaches home plate.

Arizona gets on with a slap, and quickly steals second when the Texas catcher is slow to return the ball to the pitcher. It still amazes half of Team USA that the spunky little blonde possesses that much speed. And Coach Webber nearly salivates at the idea of extra stolen bags during the games in London. Addison is up second but pops out, and Naomi bats third. A hard line drive just past shortstop leads to Arizona advancing to third and Campbell being held up at first. Which leads to Callie, hitting clean up.

The outfield naturally takes a couple steps back as the power hitter stands at home, brown eyes surveying the field in front of her and taking stock of the situation. One out, runners on first and third. A nice juicy hole between the right outfielder and the chalk line. That's her target. As far away from third as possible in hopes of bringing the runner in scoring position home.

"Come on, Cal! Bring me home, baby!" Arizona yells from her place at third. It's just natural that that name falls from her lips, but as soon as it does, she and Callie lock gazes. Trying to play it off, as if it was nothing out of the ordinary, Arizona yells again "Come on. One time, Cal. One time. Bring me home."

Not even checking her sign from Derrick, Callie steps into the batter's box and gets set. A deep breath, a little sway of the hips to loosen up, and her fingers grip at the bat. The Texan pitcher winds up and sends a screaming of a ball. Strike one is called. The Latina hears the cheering of her team behind her, the calling from Arizona down at third. But that doesn't matter, her vision tunnels, concentration focuses. Another pitch, ball one. The ball gets sent back to the pitcher and she tries to ice Callie.

"Time." Callie calls when she's had enough of waiting. She takes a step out of the box, swings a few practice swings, now making the pitcher wait on her.

"That's right Cal. Your time, now." Arizona hollers, taking a breather on third as she watches her catcher play with the pitcher.

Stepping back up, Callie gets set again. And this time she takes a hack, a swing that connects solidly. The ball goes screaming down the right field line. Arizona races home, not even a play to beat, while Naomi and Callie truck around the bags. The right outfielder gets to the ball and throws it home just as Campbell is rounding third. Arizona see's its going to be a close play and signals Naomi to slide. The Texan catcher catches the ball a fraction of a second late as the runner slides between her legs and touches home safely.

"Yeah!" Arizona yells, she and Naomi slapping each other's hands, helmets and butts in enthusiasm. Turning to the woman now at third, she sends a big dimpled smile while exclaiming "That's it, Cal! Nice hit!" Callie just smiles, and silently wishes that she had the reason to slap the perky blonde on the ass just like Naomi did.

The next USA batter steps up and sends a hit right to the Texan shortstop. As soon as the player turns her throw to first, Callie takes off for home. The first baseman gets the out and quickly fires home. Callie knows there's going to be a play for home and braces herself. She can see the catcher steel herself as well. They both get low and Torres lays down in a perfect slide. The catcher takes the hit and falls on the Latina.

Arizona watches the hit, and the way Callie's head bounces on the ground makes her sick. Everyone sees it, and a few even gasp out loud. It's not natural, that kind of bounce. …A skull isn't supposed to bounce.

The catcher drops the ball, and the umpire calls "Safe!" The Texan catcher disentangles herself from the Latina, but Callie doesn't move. Before Arizona knows it, she up off the bench and running towards her downed teammate, Alex quickly on her tail.

Callie's mind is fuzzy, her vision blurry and it feels like she is on some kind of boat because the ground beneath her seems to be rocking from side to side. And she must be in some kind of dream because the next thing she sees is deep blue eyes staring down at her. A dopey grin crosses plump lips, liking whatever kind of heaven she is in right now.

"Cal, Callie? Can you hear me?" Arizona asks, grasping at the Latina's limbs. "Do you feel that?" All she gets is a doped up grin and a nod of the head. Looking up, she finds Alex's gaze. "Reflexes are good. Probably just a concussion. We need to get her out of the sun."

"The other team has a small training room attached to their locker room." Karev replies, slowly pulling the players helmet off. Between the two of them, they get Callie up on her feet and moving back towards the dugout.

Mark is waiting at the threshold, nervous about the news of his player. "Is she-"

"She's fine. Probably a small concussion. Umm, I'm going to give her a once over. Just in case." The blonde states quickly. She doesn't even wait of an 'ok' before following Callie and Alex to the small building a few hundred feet away. All Arizona hears is her coach yell for Hahn to get suited up and Amelia to start warming up for the next inning.

Once inside, Arizona directs Alex to the first of only two padded training benches. The haze in Callie's mind has slowly started to dissipate and now a low throbbing is taking over. But the drugged up smile still crosses her lips as she watches Arizona direct the trainer as to what to do.

They get the injured player up on a bed, and Arizona says "I got it from here, Karev. She'll need to rest for a while, I'll watch her. Why don't you go back out to the field?"

"Whatever." The trainer mumbles, and without another glance leaves the two players alone in the small, air conditioned building.

"How you feeling, Boss?" Arizona asks as she grabs a pen light from the medical bag Alex left for her and tests the brunette's pupil response.

"A little dizzy…" Callie murmurs while trying to shake the fog from her eyes, only to end up making herself even more dizzy and she starts to fall back. In a last split second hope to right herself, she reaches forward and grabs the front of Arizona's jersey, which inturn makes the blonde tip forward slightly as well. "Ok, a lot dizzy." She corrects herself, and lets go of the blonde.

"Pupil response is fine." The pitcher mumbles, wishing the heat that just hit her body would leave. For some reason the air conditioning in the small room isn't helping any. "Squeeze." She states, holding out both hands with two fingers pointed. Callie grabs and squeezes, applying equal pressure to each. Arizona does a few more routine tests just to make sure, all the while brown eyes watching her and smiling.

"What?" Arizona breathes out, a dimpled grin managing to break through her usual mask of professionalism. She's felt the burn of the brunettes stare on her for a few minutes and now she can't take it anymore.

"Nothing." Callie replies with a shrug, that dopey, drugged up smile crossing her lips again. "Just… I wish I remembered." Maybe her inhibitions are lowered because of the bump on the head, or maybe it's because she and Robbins have been spending more time together lately, but Callie can't seem to stop herself.

"Remember what?" The pitcher asks, still standing right in front of the seated catcher.

"Kissing you." The Latina states, and the temperature in the room skyrockets. They both feel it, and Arizona is sure her heart rate doubles. Brown eyes flick down to pink lips in front of her, then back up to baby blues, waiting for a response. When she receives only silence, Robbins trying to swallow a lump that has formed in her throat, Callie adds "Because I'm sure it was very very nice. I wish I remembered it."

"We didn't." Arizona says softly, unable to pull her eyes away from the woman seated before her. Somewhere along the way, Callie's legs have parted enough for the blonde to stand between then, bringing their bodies even closer together.

"We didn't?" The younger woman asks, and blonde hair waves in it's ponytail as Arizona shakes her head no. "We didn't kiss?"

"No. We didn't." Robbins replies, and Callie doesn't miss the longing in the woman's voice.

"Good." Torres states, making blue eyes narrow immediately. And Arizona can hear the words 'I don't want to kiss you' playing in her head all over again. Seeing that the blonde is starting to retreat again, Callie quickly says "Because… I'm going to want to remember this." A tanned hand snakes out and grabs a clump of silky blue jersey, pulling Arizona in a fraction of an inch. She gives the pitcher a chance to pull back, a chance to call it off, but it never comes.

Arizona's heart feels like it's going to beat out of her chest. Her mouth has gone dry and her skin is on fire. Brown eyes just inches away from hers keep her enthralled until both chocolate and cerulean flutter close. Lips part fractionally, their breaths intermingling between them, heads tip to the right. Arizona is a second away from getting her wish, Callie is a second away from tasting the sweetness she has only dreamed about.

But when the door to the training room gets yanked open, both Callie and Arizona jump away from each other like they have the plague. Striding into the room is a very oblivious Mark, a smile on his face. "What's the word, Blondie? Is our superstar going to be ok?"

A hand comes up and wipes at her lips while the other smoothes her wrinkled jersey. "Yeah. Yeah uhh, Callio- Cal- Torres will be just fine."

"Great." Mark exclaims, then gives the Latina a clap on the shoulder. "You two were hot. Really hot. You felt it right? Tell me you two felt that chemistry." Brown eyes lock with blue, what happened thirty seconds ago replaying in both their minds.

Clearing her throat, Callie manages to get out "Yeah. I felt it. Did you… Arizona?" Perfect white teeth pull at a plump lower lip as the Latina tries to keep a straight expression.

"Yeah. I uhh, yeah. Definitely felt it." Robbins replies but Mark is less than interested in their responses.

He is already on his way out of the room, and over her shoulder he yells "You two are on fire. Guess who just got a new pitcher, Torres. You and Arizona are a team now. So you two better keep up that heat." With that he is back out in the hot Texas sun, completely oblivious to what he walked in on.

AN2: SOOOOO close. Yet so far. You hate it, but you love it. You love the burn. The simmering. Admit it, lol. Alright, a lot went on in this chapter. Arizona opened up a bit, but there is still many layers left to peel back. While Callie, herself, seems locked up tight. Will she ever let the blonde in? And I dropped a few other little… bits into this chapter. Its slowly starting to unfold. Let me know what you think. And as always, I greatly appreciate you all for reading and sticking it out with me. Reviews rock my socks off! Thanks.