Current mood:	sad
Entry tags:	author: burningeden, character: cast

Title: Ready For A Fall (28/?)
Author: Chelle Storey-Daniel
Rating: NC17
Pairing: Addison/Mark, Callie/George, Callie/Alex, George/Izzie, Meredith/Derek
Summary: Sometimes it hurts to fall, but if you're lucky someone may catch you. And they may be falling, too.
A/N: Oh god... I hate this chapter.





One
Two
Three
Four
Five
Six
Seven
Eight
Nine
Ten
Eleven
Twelve
Thirteen
Fourteen
Fifteen
Sixteen
Seventeen
Eighteen
Nineteen
Twenty
Twenty One
Twenty Two
Twenty Three
Twenty Four
Twenty Five
Twenty Six
Twenty Seven

*~*~*~*~*~

I'm not saying there wasn't nothing wrong
I just didn't think you'd ever get tired of me
I'm not saying we ever had the right to hold on
I just didn't wanna let it get away from me

But if thats how it's gonna leave
Straight out from underneath
Then we'll see whos sorry now
If thats how it's gonna stand, when
You know you've been depending on
The one you're leaving now
The one you're leaving out
- Matchbox Twenty

*~*~*~*~*~

Callie and Alex did not get to sleep in on Friday morning. Her parents were flying out at eight thirty and they went to the airport to say goodbye. Callie kept her emotions in check until her father had hugged her and given her a stuffed black rabbit with red sateen in the ears. She began to cry and he held onto her, telling her that it would be okay and that he’d be back in a flash if she needed him. She had calmed down by the time they made it back to Alex’s new SUV, but when he asked her to explain the stuffed animal, she broke down again.

He listened to her talk about ‘The Velveteen Rabbit’ and put an arm around her. When she finally got control of herself, he kissed her and told her that he had never read it. She promised to read it to him that night. Her phone rang as they were pulling apart and she opened it, "Hello?"

"It’s me," Addison replied. "Look, Mark is dragging my ass out to Harbor Cove to see a damn *cabin* that he’s trying to buy so I need you to come along and talk about how horrible it would be to live there."

"What?!"

"I mean it! I need you! You have to come and because you scared ten years off my life a few weeks ago by almost *dying* ... you owe me. I climbed on top of you in your hospital bed. In a *skirt*."

"That's because you're a perverted freak." Callie sighed. "What time?"

"Thirty minutes. Meet us at ... hang on." There was a rustling of paper over the phone line. "2442 Whisper Ridge."

"Oh! That cabin! Yeah, I know where it is. I saw it when we were sailing into the cove. It’s like ... right around two corners from me. You’d be within walking distance! We could hike the trails and start jogging. This would kick ass, Addison!"

"No! It would not! Get it in your head that this is rustic living and I am not built for rustic, Callie. I’ll *die* out in the middle of bum fuck Egypt."

"We’re twenty minutes from the hospital! How is that BFE?"

"If you say *anything* positive about this fucking cabin I will pull out your tongue, feed it to buzzards, and then bomb your yacht with all your precious video games on it. Wait, I’ll bomb the yacht first and make you watch all that crap sink *before* I cut out your tongue. Which I will do in front of a mirror so you can watch yourself die."

Callie said nothing.

Addison moaned on the other line. "Okay, I’m sorry. That was overkill. I’m a bad person. I’m exhausted from too much sex. Are you still coming?"

Callie laughed. "You’re officially a Jedi knight, Addison. That was the best threat *ever*. You totally beat my mother and she’s *good*."

"Oh! Your parents! Did they get off okay? They’re gone?"

"Yeah," Callie replied sadly. "Who knew I could actually miss them?"

"I miss them, too. I love them. I saw them every morning almost." Addison chuckled. "You dad called me Addson. No i."

"It's better than what *I* want to call you. You're putting a kink in *my* sex life by making me do this."

"How can you think about sex right now? Mark is trying to get me killed by ..."

"An el chupacabra?"

"What's that?"

"Well, legend says that it's a monster sorta like Big Foot or the Loch Ness and it lives in Washington State. Cam is convinced he saw one the other night. So ... be careful."

"Oh my god. I knew that something was watching us the other night. You better be here in thirty minutes and you hate *everything*, okay?"

"I’m on it."

Callie hung up the phone and slipped it back into the side of her purse. She put her seat belt on and said, "We’re going to be having Mark and Addison as neighbors. If you ever want to have sex with me again then you will love *everything* about the cabin we’re going to see because I have to hate it for her. You have to cross cancel me."

"Callie?"

"Hmm?"

"You can’t really threaten me with sex."

"Why is that?"

"Because you would die without it."

"Fine, you’re right." She reached over and tugged his ear. "But if you want to break this SUV in the proper way, you’ll love the cabin, Alex."

"I love the cabin. And the el chupacabra's that you just lied your ass off about."

"She threatened my video games, dude. She's lucky that I don't scientifically create an el chupacabra and put it in her locker."

*~*~*~*~*~

"I love the cabin!" Addison cried, clasping her hands together as she met Callie and Alex in the driveway.

Callie glanced at Mark, who was grinning at her. "I hate it. The driveway needs work and it’s facing the wrong way."

"What?" The redhead glanced at the cabin. "What way is it supposed to be facing?"

"The sun’s going to go right through that window and blind you every afternoon."

Addison put her hands on her hips. "That’s the *laundry* room. Who cares?"

"And the wood’s an ugly color." Callie shook her head. "Plus ... the roof doesn’t look right."

Mark glanced at the roof and said, "What the hell, Torres?"

"Well, I like it," Alex replied, peering into the garage window. "It’s beautiful and the view of the water is amazing."

"I bet there are snakes everywhere." Callie glanced down dramatically. "It’s a good think you watch ‘Venom ER’, Addy, because -"

"It’s cold as hell! If there were snakes they’d be frozen!" Mark pointed at the open front door. "Why don’t you take your negative ass inside and see what else you can find to pick on!?"

Callie walked past him and gasped when she saw the beautiful bamboo wood flooring. The rich, light coloring had been shined to a mirror like quality and it complemented the earth tones that dominated the color scheme. She stepped from the foyer into a sunken living room that boasted a large, stone fireplace with a mantle made from the same bamboo. Three sofas sat in the middle of the room, two facing each other and one closing off the end like a sectional. It was the perfect place to sit and watch the plasma television that hung over the fireplace.

"If you come home drunk you’re going to fall, face first, down those steps," Callie said. It was a weak argument and she knew it.

"You have about six steps that lead into your living room," Mark snapped. "Look around! This is the perfect house."

"It’ll be very hard to heat and cool." Callie looked at Alex, imploring him.

"Oh." He shook his head. "I think there are solar panels on the roof that you hate so that should help a lot."

"The floor is ugly," Callie said, nervously chewing on her thumbnail. "And the - I can’t do it, Addison."

"Do what?" Mark asked, looking from one woman to the other with narrowed eyes. "You two are up to something!"

"Shut up, Callie!" Addy glared at her. "Did you not hear me say that I *love* the cabin?"

"Were you being serious?"

"What are you two doing!?" Mark bellowed, still glaring back and forth. "Tell me right now!"

"Addison wants me to hate it and I *can’t*."

"Addison Montgomery!" Mark yelled.

"Callie Torres!" Addison shouted at the same time.

Callie threw her hands up in surrender and walked through the living room and into the sunroom, which had a gorgeous view. She smiled and headed into the kitchen when she heard Mark threaten to rub Addison down with poison ivy. Alex followed along behind her and kissed her in the dining room. "You are such a bad, bad friend," he told her.

"I know." Callie put her arms around him. "It sucks to be her and have to deal with me."

"Nah, I wouldn’t go that far." He leaned down and kissed her again. "You claimed that you had one hell of a poker face, baby, but the second you walked in here I knew you were losing it. You don’t lie very well."

"Really?"

"Really."

"I have a poker face when I need it and like you say: lying catches up to you. Besides, I want Addison to live close to me."

"Well, I don’t! Because people should *like* their neighbors!" Addison snapped, huffing into the dining room. "The first words out of my mouth were ‘I love the cabin’. That was a sign that you could love it too."

"No," Callie replied. "That wasn’t a sign. A sign would have been ‘I love the cabin so forget the fact that I threatened to blow up your video games and kill you in front of a mirror’."

Alex looked at Mark. "Do we really want them to live this close together?"

"I’m thinking no."

"Too bad," Addison replied. "Because we’re buying this place!" She reached out and took Callie’s hand. "Come on. I want to show you the bedrooms and the office and the library and we can plan a party and ..."

Her voice trailed off as she led Callie out of the room. Mark and Alex looked at one another when Callie laughed at something they couldn’t hear. Alex put his hands on his hips, "What are you thinking, man?"

"I’m thinking that we’ll be good neighbors."

"Those two together! Those two within walking distance of each other? We’ll never get a minute’s peace! They’ll conspire. All the time. If you piss Addison off she’ll come to our house. If I piss Callie off she’ll come here and then whichever one of us who’s with them at the time will be the bad guy because we’re the *guys*."

"Oh, shit. What have I done?"


Alex ran a hand over his hair. "Wanna show me the basement? Maybe we can put in a bomb shelter for us for when they get going."

"Sounds like a plan."

*~*~*~*~*~

"I’ll wait out here."

"You can come in."

"I don’t want to."

"Callie, come and help me pack." Alex took her hand in his. "It’ll be okay."

She saw that her red convertible, which now belonged to George, was parked behind Cristina’s motorcycle and she knew that Izzie was probably in the house as well. She closed her eyes for a second and said, "I don’t think it’s a good idea."

"If you help me we’ll be in and out twice as fast."

The front door opened and Cristina walked out, bundled up in her jacket. She tapped on Callie’s window, which Alex rolled down. "Nice ride! Whose is it?"

"Alex’s."

"Bull shit! This is a Mercedes! Callie, please leave him for me." Cristina opened Callie’s door and said, "Get out so I can see it!"

Callie slipped out so Cristina could climb in. She laughed at the younger woman’s enthusiasm. Cristina opened and shut the sunroof, she played with the XM radio, and trembled when Callie heated the seats for her. "It’s *so* cold out here!" Cristina said, climbing back out of the car. "Come inside and get warm."

"I, uh, I think I’ll wait out here."

"I don’t!" Cristina grabbed her arm and shut the car door. "Come on. I need you to fix my laptop. I don’t know what I did to it, but it’s fucked up."

"I told you how to fix it!"

"I’m a *doctor*. If I wanted to be a computer tech I’d be working at Best Buy. Duh."

Callie had never felt quite so uncomfortable in her life. Cristina led her into the house and she immediately spotted Izzie and George on the sofa. Alex walked in behind her and closed the door, then leaned against her back. He put his hands on her hips and said, "Let’s go upstairs."

Cristina led the way and flopped down on Alex’s old bed. She picked up her laptop and turned it on, then set it on Callie’s lap. Callie only half listened to Cristina as Alex pulled two large duffel bags from the top shelf of the closet and began to stuff his belongings in them. Turning back to the laptop, she clicked a few keys and restored the registry, repairing the issue that had plagued the system. Cristina took it back and said, "Yes! I can catch up on LonelyGirl15."

Callie smiled at her. "I could so spoil for you."

"Don’t you *dare*!" Cristina pushed a few keys and then said, "No, wait. Tell me."

"No way! It’s a shock!"

"I’ll watch the last episode first! I swear I'll do it." Cristina threatened. "Spill it."

"Bree dies. They pretty much suck all her blood out." Callie told her. "And her blood apparently saves the elders and -"

"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!" Cristina slammed the computer shut and crossed her arms. "I only have time in my life for three minute webisodes. I don’t have time to invest in sitcoms or anything else. I’m invested in Bree. I'm invested in proving science wrong! Did she suffer?"

"No. It’s like she just goes to sleep."

"It never happens that way!"

"Cristina, they probably only have like four dollars to spend on every episode. They can’t make it look *that* real." Callie looked at Alex over her shoulder and said, "Are you going to tell me what you want me to pack, Jock Strap?"

He grinned at her. "Nothing. I just didn’t want you in the car."

Callie made a face at him and he leaned down, kissing her, his tongue rubbing against hers. When they broke apart, Cristina gagged and Callie threw a pair of socks at her. She opened her mouth to say something to the other woman, but Izzie appeared in the doorway and leaned against the jamb. "So," the blond said softly. "You’re moving out?"

Alex nodded, but said nothing. He did walk to the dresser, putting himself between the two women, though. Izzie watched him toss his underwear into his duffel and looked at Callie. Her eye was black and blue, but it didn’t look half bad. "Uh, Callie, could I talk to you?"

"No, you can’t," Alex stood up. "Absolutely not."

Izzie put her hands in her pockets. "I just - I wanted to apologize."

"Then you'll do it right here." Alex turned his attention to Callie. "Are you okay with that?"

"Yeah. Sure." Callie smiled a little when Cristina put her laptop aside and decided to sort through laundry three inches away from Callie. The message was clear. Izzie would have to go through her to get to Callie or vice versa. "It’s fine."

"Thanks for the advice about the ice. It’s been helping." Izzie touched her cheek, which felt full of Gobstoppers. "And I’m really sorry for everything I said and did to you."

"Me, too," Callie replied. "And - don’t sweat the psych evaluations. Ask for Gellar and tell him exactly what he wants to hear. He’ll lead you and you’ll know what to say."

Izzie grimaced. "Or after he gets done with me he’ll retire. I’m that much of a mess."

"We’re all messes. We just learn to make the most of it." Callie shrugged a little. "It’ll be okay."

With a nod, Izzie watched Alex finish up the packing and said, "So, you guys are moving in together?"

"Off limits. Anything about us is off limits. You don't talk about it, think about it, or have an opinion about it." Alex zipped his bag and put it over his shoulder. "You said you wanted to apologize and you did. Anything else is none of your business. I mean it."

"Okay." Izzie waved at Callie, who nodded at her, and then walked into her bedroom and shut the door.

"Nice pair of balls you got there, Karev," Cristina said, smiling up at him. "Very nice."

"Don’t comment on my boyfriend’s balls," Callie told her, nudging her with the toe of her shoe. "And you do realize that you’re practically a dwarf and you weight four pounds so it’s not like you could have prevented me from getting at her."

"I wasn’t trying to prevent you," Cristina replied, standing up. "I was showing her that I’m Team Callie."

"Ooh, there are teams now?"

"I’m the president." Cristina crossed her arms over her chest.

"Vice president," Alex corrected, reaching out and pulling Callie to her feet. "Let’s go home, baby."

Cristina heaved again.

Callie simply smiled at her.

*~*~*~*~*~

The following Monday, Callie made excuses for lunch that did not involve anything resembling the truth. She knew better. She did, but every time she opened her mouth to tell the truth her tongue refused to work. Things were going too perfectly for her to rankle Alex’s ire by telling him that she was dining with Louise and after his reaction to the mere thought of it at the party, she just wasn’t going there with him. It had been a great weekend and she wasn’t going to do *anything* to ruin it. She told Alex that she had an errand to run for the fund raiser and promised to show him her favorite supply closet when she got back. It was drizzling rain when she shook off her umbrella and entered the Emerald City Bar. She made a beeline for Joe, who lifted her off her feet and hugged her. He talked a mile a minute for a few moments, the pointed to the left.

When she turned, she immediately drew up short. Louise was sitting at the booth in the corner, waving at her. And George sat beside her, looking like he had been manhandled into the bar. His clothing was crooked and his face was pale. He definitely did *not* look happy to be there and she imagined that her face mirrored his. Taking a deep breath, she walked across the almost empty room and let Louise hug her. Just like her own mother had done, the blond fussed over her injury and called Izzie Stevens a few choice names.

"You’ve lost more weight." Louise put her hands on Callie’s waist, which did look small and tapered under the clinging royal blue shirt she wore. "Goodness, honey, this is bordering on frightening."

"I’ve been exercising a lot. Hiking and swimming." Callie slipped into the booth and nodded at her husband. "George."

"Hey, Callie."

She noticed that he was doing the vacant stare thing that he always did when he didn’t know what to say or do. He had clearly been put on the spot just like she had been. She pulled her laptop from her bag and opened it on the table. She spoke to Louise. "I have to take this fund raiser on a bigger scale than a bake sale or a rummage sale. It’s got to be huge."

Louise nodded. "I spoke with the principal of our school. He’s certain that we can get our chorus and drama department to do something for you. Have you thought about a talent show?"

Callie chewed her lip. "That’s a good idea. My cousin is CEO of a record label in Atlanta. I could probably talk him into offering a few hours in the studio to record something professionally. Hmmm. Maybe I should do a few different things on different dates."

George watched as she typed furiously on her laptop. She had pulled the front of her hair back in a barrette, but several pieces curled around her face. He had never seen it styled that way and the effect was breathtaking. A worry line appeared between her eyes and she said, "I can book the Key Arena seven days before Christmas. I’ll cover all the charges for that. That’s the biggest venue here in Seattle and I’ve got a few buddies who would probably come out and perform."

"What kind of buddies?" George asked softly.

She glanced at him. "Gloria Estefan is a friend of the family. So are Jon Secada, Ricky Martin, Enrique Iglesias, and Marc Anthony. Marc could bring the J Lo factor and I personally know enough rappers, Vanilla Ice included, who would probably get on board for charity. It could be an all day event with high priced tickets. I could probably get the radio stations here involved and the signals picks up all the way into Canada."

"Oh my god." George shook his head. "I never realized all this about you. You know these people?"

"Well, I am from Miami." Callie pushed the laptop to one side and put her chin in her palm. "I don’t have a lot of time to plan it, though. It’s already October."

"We’ll think of something," Louise smiled at her. "Harold’s brother works for a public television station here in town. Perhaps I could get him to set aside some air time for a telethon of some kind."

"That would be perfect! And I can pay for thirty second spots on the networks." Callie closed her laptop completely when Joe arrived to take their orders. She slipped it back in her bag . When he walked away, she smiled at Louise. "So, did you bring the photos of Ronnie and Jerry’s little expedition to the top of the mountain? I know Mack took a ton of photos. He calls them his ‘cherry’ pictures and it’s the way he commemorates anyone climbing for the first time."

"He’s a very crude man." Louise dug through her purse and pulled out two thick packets of photos.

Callie eagerly took them and passed them one by one to George when he said he hadn’t seen them yet. Luckily, there were enough photos to get them through the wait for the food. It arrived finally and Callie glanced at her watch. She would have to eat fast. Digging into her club sandwich, she listened to Louise and George talk about some remodeling work that was being done at the family home. After eating half of her sandwich, she held up a hand and asked Joe for a box.

"You’re still not eating well." Louise frowned at her plate.

"Not eating for several months will do that to you." She glanced at George, a bemused smile on her face. "You can’t call me curvy now, huh? I don’t think my hips will ever come back."

He put down his burger and looked at her. "I didn’t mean it the way you obviously took it."

"There’s not many ways to take it, but it’s okay." She slid her sandwich into the box that Joe laid on the table. "I’ll have to be getting back soon. I have a surgery in about thirty minutes. I need to talk to the patient."

Louise stood and said, "I have to run to the bathroom. Don’t leave before I get back."

Callie watched her go and looked back at George. "Do you get the feeling that your mother is up to something?"

"Yeah. I’m sorry. She called this morning and insisted that I meet her here. She said it was an emergency." He pushed his plate away, wiping his mouth. When he looked at her, she saw that his eyes were watering. "I didn’t know you were coming."

"It’s not your fault." Callie reached across the table, instinctively putting her hand on his. "You asked me if I was okay the other night so it’s my turn. Are you okay, George?"

"No." He laid his free hand on hers, squeezing a little, holding onto her. "I miss you. Every second of the day, but I’m not going to complain. I did this same thing to you. I let Izzie be the other woman before I ever even had sex with her so I’m feeling right now what you felt all along. I’m very sorry I did that to you."

Callie looked down at their hands. She felt the way his shook, but seeing it confirmed that it wasn’t her imagination. She took a deep breath and reached across the table with her other hand, turning his collar down. "I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you no when you asked me to marry you. Your father had just died and you were grieving. You weren’t ready and I knew that. I wasn’t ready, either, but I didn’t want to hurt you."

"So much for best laid plans." George leaned across the table and touched the bandage on her cheek. "I never wanted to hurt you either, but just look at what I’ve done."

"I’m over it. All of it." Callie sighed. "If you still want to be friends I’m in."

"Of course I do."

*~

Across the room, Mark put his hand on Alex’s shoulder. They were partially hidden behind the jukebox and neither Callie nor George were paying attention to anyone around them. He felt the shorter man stiffen when George touched her face and held him at bay when he started to take a step forward.

"Don’t do it," Mark said. "Not here."

Alex watched a moment longer, listening to Callie laugh at something George had said. It was rich and soulful. Careless. Their hands never broke apart once.

But something inside of him broke enough for everyone.

He turned on his heel and walked out of the bar.

Mark followed, forgetting all about the hot wings he had been craving.

*~*~*~*~*~

Callie carried what remained of her sandwich into the hospital and practically sailed down the hallway in search of Alex. Her lunch had been productive. Louise had called Harold’s brother and he was working to clear air time on public television and Callie had come up with the idea to make the talent show an American Idol style competition. Her cousin in Atlanta had been more than willing to offer two full days in his recording studio and had promised to pen at least three songs for the contest. If the winner was actually good they would have a real shot at a recording contract, not to mention an all expense paid trip to Atlanta.

And she felt twenty pounds lighter since she had spoken with George. It wouldn’t be so bad to be his friend. He looked like he could use one and it would make it easier for her to talk to Louise if she wasn’t actively hating her son. She smiled when she spotted Alex in the corridor talking to Mark and Addison. He just seemed to fit into her life so well. He wasn’t intimidated by either attending and he didn’t abuse their friendship for better surgeries.

Grinning, she put her arm around his waist and held up the container. "Did you eat lunch yet?"

He stepped away from her and nodded. "Yeah, I’m good."

"It’s a club sandwich," Callie replied. "Are you sure?"

Mark and Addison glanced at one another and made puny excuses to leave. Callie lowered the Styrofoam plate and said, "Do I have body odor?"

"What did you do for lunch?" he asked her. He hadn’t looked at her at all since she had arrived and when he finally did, he held his breath and prayed for the truth. "You’re a little late getting back."

"I worked on the fund raiser. A friend of mine is getting air time on our public broadcasting station and I used the wonderful power of wireless internet to spend about seventy five thousand dollars booking the Key Arena." She rolled her eyes. "Even though I don’t have anyone to perform there yet. I jumped the gun, but the date was right when Chief Webber wants it done."

He wondered briefly how she could meet his eyes, how she could look him square in the face and lie to him. "Who’s your friend? They seem well connected."

"Are you sure you don’t want this sandwich?" When he shook his head, she tossed it into the trash. "You don’t really know her. Her brother in law works at the TV station and the rest was all me. I’m the well connected one. I’m so connected that I can get you in on my surgery that I’m about to be late for if you want. I know you’re supposed to get off before me, but-"

"No. I have to go," he replied, stepping around her. "I’ll see you at home."

Callie watched him walk down the hallway, her head tilted a little to the side.

A moment later, Meredith walked up and said, "I’m all yours. Ready to replace hips since I’ll never have any."

"Me either, apparently," Callie replied, glancing down at her street clothes. "I need to go change. My new scrubs came in today so maybe I can actually hold them up."

"I’ll be waiting in the OR."

"Seeya there."

*~*~*~*~*~

"I need to warn her," Addison said, pacing the length of the on-call room. "Are you sure she was holding his hand?"

"Yep."

"And he was -"

"Touching her face and she was turning down his collar and they only had eyes for each other."

"Son of a bitch!" Addison sat down on the bed and put her head in her hands. "What is she thinking? This is not a road that she needs to go down again."

"Maybe it was innocent."

She glanced up at him, her hair in her face. "Do you think it was innocent?"

"It didn’t look it, but maybe I’m wrong." Mark sat down beside her. "Don’t let her know that he knows, Addison."

"Why not?"

"Because I think whatever she has to say for herself on her own will make all the difference. If you warn her then she’s going into the battle armed and he’ll know that we told her." He pushed her hair away from her face. "This has to be between them. We’re out of it."

"I could wring her neck, Mark. I swear to God."

"Something tells me she’s going to need a friend. You should be a friend first and wring her neck later."

"She’s happy with Alex. I know she is! Yesterday when we went hiking she was talking about long term plans with him. Like, she has a future in her head. A future with him. Nothing could have changed that overnight."

"Hey," Mark whispered. "Don’t get upset."

"How can I not? She has let George O’Malley obliterate the Callie Torres that I know and love. And she was just starting to come back and here she is fixing his collar and lying to Alex about lunch with him."

"Well, I do have some good news." Mark grinned at her. "We got the house."

"We got the house!?"

"We can move in when you’re ready."

"Is now too soon?"

"Let go pack."

*~*~*~*~*~

The three car garage that Callie’s father had designed was finally finished. It blended into the scenery beautifully with the surroundings, looking both arcadian and nautical. Callie parked in her spot and smiled at the fact that every space was filled. Alex still had his old jeep, which was parked on one end. Maybe it was an emotional attachment. She didn’t really care. Seeing the garage so full felt good. It felt like coming home to a real family and that’s what she believed all the way into her gut. Alex was her family.

Smiling, she threw up her hand at Leon, the guard who worked second shift on the premises. He was large and jovial and engaged her in small talk for a few minutes as he led her safely down the trail with his flashlight. The poles for the street lights had been put into place, but had not been connected yet. Leon walked her all the way to the yacht and helped her step onto it before he nodded and told her good night.

Callie headed below deck, letting her laptop case slip from her shoulder as she toed off her shoes and dropped her purse on the sofa. "Alex?"

He came out of the bedroom in time to catch her shirt, which she tossed at him. He held it in his hand, smelling her perfume, as she sauntered toward him in her bra and jeans. Grinning ear to ear, she said, "I had the best day ever. Chief Webber approved all my ideas for the fund raiser and I did a perfect hip replacement so why don’t we go enjoy the very cold night air in the hot tub. I set it this morning so it should be hot as hell."

"No. I don’t think so." Alex held her shirt out to her, watching as confusion marred her features. "Maybe I’m a fool who should just go, but I have to ask you again because I - I can’t believe you would lie to me."

"What?"

"What did you do for lunch today, Callie?"

She swallowed hard and a look of comprehension crossed her face. The room suddenly felt twenty degrees colder and she pulled her shirt back on before she answered. "I met Louise at the Emerald City Bar and I didn’t tell you because you got so upset at the idea of it at the party. She called me the day that Cam flew out and I asked her if she’d like to help me plan this thing for the clinic. She’s good at that sort of thing and - and I kinda miss her. You know?"

"That’s it?"

"That’s it. I swear that’s it. Harold’s brother is getting us air time and we worked on some ideas. That’s all that happened."

"Are you sure?"


"Yes!" She reached for him, but he turned on his heel and disappeared into the bedroom. She started to follow, but he emerged a second later carrying his two duffel bags which were stuffed to overflowing. "What are you-"

"I’ll have to come back for the rest." Reaching into his pocket, he tossed her the keys to the new car. "I’ll sign the title over to you later."

"What!? What are you-"

"It’s over." He started past her, but she caught his arm.

"Alex, I don’t -"

"I gave you several chances to tell me the truth. Several chances." Alex pulled his arm from her grip, his nostrils flaring. "You didn’t have lunch with Louise! You had lunch with George and you let him put his hands all over you!"

"Who told you that!? They’re lying!"

"I SAW IT! I WAS THERE!" Alex took several steps toward the door. He turned mid stride and glared at her. "YOU CAME IN HERE ACTING LIKE YOU DIDN’T BETRAY ME TODAY! HOW CAN YOU LIE TO MY FUCKING FACE?! HOW!?"

"I’m not lying! I didn’t have lunch with George! He was there, but he wasn’t supposed to be, Alex!" She walked toward him but he held up a hand. There was a look on his face that she had never seen before so she drew up short. "It was supposed to just be me and Louise, but he was sitting there and then he started apologizing for what had happened and all I did was hold his hand because-"

"BULL SHIT! DO NOT LIE TO ME! HE HAD HIS HANDS ON YOUR FACE AND YOU DIDN’T DO A GOD DAMN THING TO STOP HIM!" Alex shook his head. "WHY!? WHY!?!?"

"He said that he wants us to be friends and I said okay. That’s all it was. He was apologizing about the stitches and he touched the bandage. It was brief and then Louise came back and we worked on the planning. That’s all it was."

"I doubt she was even there!"

"I’ll call her! Right now! I’ll call her on speaker phone and thank her for lunch and tell her that the Chief liked her ideas." She started to move to her purse, but he lifted his arm to block her, stalking forward.

Callie took a step back and raised her arms to cover her face.

He stopped walking toward her instantly and the duffels fell from his shoulder, then to the floor. Reaching out, he gently pushed her arms down and tilted her face. "Baby, did you think I was about to hit you?"

Tears were rolling down her face when she looked up at him. "I don’t know."

"You know better than that!"

"And you know better than this! Are you trying to imply that I would cheat on you with George? With *George*?!" she cried. "How can you leave me for trying to not hurt your feelings?"

"You lied to me! Every time I asked you!" His voice rose again. "I can handle a lot of things, but I can’t handle a liar! If you can’t be honest with me then -"

She bent down and grabbed the two bags at his feet, shoving them against his chest. "Just go."

"Callie-"

"GET OUT!"

"Just -"

She brushed the tears off her cheeks and said, "You don’t like liars so don’t be one. You said it’s over ... so it is. We’ll always have Disneyland, right?"

"No!" He pointed his finger at her. "We had a hell of a lot more than Disneyland and *you* ruined it." He yanked the straps of his bags over his shoulders. "I was wrong about your poker face. If I didn’t know the truth, I wouldn’t have believed it. You deserve an Oscar."

"Well, let’s see your dramatic exit, Alex. Maybe you’ll beat me."

He walked out, slamming the door hard enough to knock several pictures from the wall.

Callie hit the floor quicker than they did.

She curled into a fetal position in the galley and cried like she had never cried in her life.