26. Chapter 26

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: Sorry for the wait. Enjoy!

Chapter 26

"Dad." Callie whispers, her eyes wide in shock at the sudden appearance of her father. Carlos Torres, a man that never has time for anything other than business, has flown from Miami to London, and is now standing outside the Latina's Olympic Village apartment. "What are you doing here?" She asks, finding some strength in her voice.

"Taking you home." The older gentleman replies in a gruff tone. "Get your things."

"Uhh, Mr. Torres." Richard speaks up, standing and approaching the shorter, yet very intimidating man at the door. "Your daughter is in the middle of-"

"I know very well what my daughter is in the middle of." Carlos cuts the head coach off. "I opened up this morning's paper to it." He adds, shoving a day old paper into Webber's hand. The same picture that was broadcasted during Callie's and Arizona's interview is plastered on the front page of the Miami's sport section. "Maybe if you knew what your players were doing, this wouldn't have happened."

"Dad!" Callie tries but gets shot down with that a look that says 'don't interrupt me', the same look she got repeatedly while growing up.

Richard looks between his two players, Arizona completely baffled while Callie looking lost and scared, to his three other coaches. Everyone is in some state of shock and surprise. "Sir… This is news to me too, but however I choose to deal with this situation, no one needs to leave the team." He says, making a point to catch the blonde's gaze. No matter what happened between the two women, he doesn't want any of his players walking out.

"I understand that it affects the rest of your team and I am willing to compensate you for that, but this is not a discussion." Carlos replies, then sets his attention on his daughter. "Pack your things."

"No!" Callie snaps. "No, I'm not going anywhere, Dad."

"Calliope Iphigenia Torres." Carlos growls, even Arizona quaking a little from the seriousness of his tone.

"Damn it, Dad. I'm not a child; you can't just order me to do something." The catcher shouts back, then turns on her heel and goes to the bedroom, slamming the door behind her. Arizona watches her go, then slowly turns back and sees that Carlos's glare has now shifted to her.

"What have you done to my daughter?" He snarls, still not taking a step into the apartment.

"I haven't done anything." Arizona replies, quickly going on the defense for Callie.

"My Calliope would never be with a…. a woman…" He sneers, like the word is poison on his tongue. Arizona is completely taken by surprise, but then remembers that Callie never actually told her that she was out to her family. All the pitcher knew was that the Latina had only been with one woman. "…apparently her time away from her family and her church has confused her. I'm taking her home before she commits an unforgivable sin."

"Like what?" Arizona asks angrily. "What sin are you referring to? Sleeping with-"

"Robbins." Webber snaps, shutting the blonde up instantly but blue eyes continue to stare daggers into the man. Turning back to Carlos, Richard tries again "Come in, please." He takes a second to think about it, but then finally enters the lodging enough only to shut the door behind him. "Now, I understand that this wasn't the… best way to learn this fact about your daughter. But she's a grown woman. She's the captain of this team. She can't just… leave."

"She goes with me or I'm pulling my sponsorship from your team." Carlos replies in a cold voice, like this is some sort of business negotiations. Arizona tries not to look too confused, having no idea what sponsorship this man is talking about, and keeps her eyes trained on the older Torres.

"Mr. Torres…" Webber is starting to panic, the thought of losing all the money the Torres family gives to his team making him sick. "…It's late and the girls have a curfew. Why don't you and I go talk about this in my quarters?"

Dark eyes glance past the taller head coach and find blue before looking back at Richard. "I'm not leaving my daughter in her-" Carlos jabs a finger in Arizona's direction. "-company. Callie is not spending another second around that woman."

The coach takes a deep breath and tries to think of a way out of all this. "Robbins, you're not to talk to, see, or spend time with Callie until tomorrow morning." He commands, his own eyes meeting daring blue. Arizona tips her head slightly, completely amazed that her coach would think that he could dictate anything about her actions. "Pack your bags, you're changing rooms."

"No." Arizona replies evenly, standing her ground between the door to the bedroom Callie is holed up in and the rest of the group.

"Don't push me." Webber says, his tone dropping to a dangerous level.

"Or what, you'll kick me off the team?" Arizona challenges, just hoping that either Carlos or Richard will bite. But neither of them do because they can see the seriousness in the blonde's eyes. With one last hard look, the pitcher turns and enters the bedroom, locking the door behind her.

Callie's head snaps up when Arizona comes in, and the Latina breathes a sigh of relief that it isn't her father. "Are they still out there?"

"Yeah." The blonde answers, crossing the room and sitting on the edge of the mattress next to her catcher. "So… that's your dad, huh?" She plays, trying to lighten the heavy mood but only gets a sniff from the woman. Redness surrounds deep brown eyes, and a Kleenex is gripped in strong hands, telling Arizona that Callie has been crying. "Hey…" She whispers, laying a soft hand on a tanned one. "Calliope, it's ok."

A laugh comes bubbling out from between plump lips. "How is it ok, Arizona?" Callie asks, shaking her head and dabbing at her eyes. "How is it ok? I mean… I was just outed on national TV. And then my father, my deeply religious father, shows up on my doorstep, demanding that he take me home. Webber is about a second away from having a coronary and you… well, you act like I was a one night stand. So tell me, how is it ok?"

Now it's Arizona's turn to feel like crap. Hanging her head in her hands, the pitcher sighs "Callie…"

"No, I get it, Arizona." Torres replies, wiping at her nose and trying to pull on a smile to cover up the pain she is feeling. "I get it. I was just a… a lay. I get it. I was the rebound."

"No, that's not-"

"Don't try to apologize. You're right; you told me from the start you weren't ready. That you had nothing to offer me." The catcher snaps, pain quickly turning to anger if only to make the blonde feel as bad as she does right now. "And you don't. You were just using me, like I used you with the Amelia thing. Well… we're even now so just… just leave me alone."

Words fail the blonde as she tries to search for the right thing to say, but none come. She's hurt Callie, and she never meant to. Suddenly, in this big, twisted, messed up of a relationship, Arizona has become the bad guy. And Arizona is never the bad guy. So without a word, the blonde stands and walks to the door. She peeks over her shoulder one last time, her heart breaking at the image of Callie curled up in a ball and her body shaking with sobs, and then exits the room.

"Think it's safe yet?" Addison asks as she and Teddy round the corner on their floor, nearing their apartment door.

"Hell if I know." Teddy replies. She and the redhead have been gone for a couple hours, but it's almost midnight and they really need to get some sleep. There was no curfew given to the team since they have tomorrow 'off', but still… professional athletes are very careful of their health. Sleep being one of the most important factors.

"God, this sucks." Montgomery groans, the two of them stopping at a vending machine only ten yards from the door. "I don't understand why Webber's panties are in such a twist. I mean, so what? They had sex. Big deal. It's not like you haven't totally opened up for Owen Hunt."

"Addison!" Teddy hisses, peeking over her shoulder to see if anyone else heard the redhead. "Like you're so innocent. Sneaking Derek in and out of our rooms, pulling him into tool sheds, hell… I'm pretty sure you gave him a good time more than once while on the bus. …With the rest of the team on board." Addison doesn't refute the claim but just runs a hand through her hair and shrugs. "Come on, we can't stand out here all night. Let's just suck it up." Teddy leads the other woman to their door and unlocks it as quietly as possible. Tiptoeing into the dark and silent apartment, they start to think that no one is actually there.

But movement out of the corner of Addison's eye makes her jump out of her skin, yelping and startling Teddy in turn. Seated in the corner of the small sofa, curled into a ball, is Arizona. Altman flips on a light, blue eyes squinting at the sudden appearance.

"What happened?" Addison asks.

"I don't know." Arizona whispers, feeling about an inch tall. "Webber got pissed; I kind of… threw the coaches, and you and Teddy, under the bus. Then Callie's dad showed up."

"Wow…" Teddy drawls. "You're like the best good luck charm ever."

"Where's Callie?" Montgomery asks, more worried about her friend than whatever was said during the conversation.

"In her room. She… she locked me out. Told me to leave her alone." The blonde answers, wiping an imaginary tear from her eye.

"And you left her alone?" The redhead asks, using the tone that infers that Arizona was a moron.

"She's right! I… I've been… I've used her. I told her I wasn't ready but she pushed me. And I said yes. Now… now I used her. I hurt her. I don't blame her for not wanting to see me again." Robbins says, tugging her knees into her chest even harder, trying to press out the ache in her heart.

"So go talk to her." Addison states like it's the simplest thing in the world. When the blonde just huffs and rolls her eyes, the redhead adds "Look, I know Callie. Just… trust me. Go talk to her."

"And tell her what?" Arizona asks.

"That you were being a moron! That you're crazy about her. That you love her. I don't care. Just go talk to her before she falls apart." Montgomery exclaims in a loud whisper. "Get off your ass and go talk to her before I shove my size 8 cleat up said ass." The blonde just glares at her, stubborn and unmoving. "You know… you're about to blow this. And not in a fun way."

"Why the hell should I listen to you, of all people?" Arizona snaps. "Either of you?" Both Addison and Teddy flinch at their teammate's statement, not expecting her to come out with gloves on. "I mean, it's not like either of you have a stellar relationship for me to go off of." Blue eyes dart between the two, waiting any kind of response. "What? Am I wrong? I mean, Addison here has been letting Derek use her for sex even though everyone knows that he has it bad for Grey."

"Arizona." Teddy snarls when Addison is too stunned to stand up for herself.

"No, don't worry Teds, I'm coming to you next." The blonde says. She knows she's crossing the line. A lot of lines but Arizona can't seem to stop herself. All the vile and contempt she has kept bottled up is spewing from her mouth and taking down those closest to her. "Do you even know if Owen likes you? Seriously? Like… has he attempted to ask 'hey, thanks for spreading your legs for me, let me take you out'. Or are you content with just being his play-"

"Arizona!" Altman shouts, now very pissed off with her teammate. "Who the hell do you-"

"Then don't you stand there and tell me what I should be doing!" Arizona shouts back, making Addison and Teddy jump. "It's none of your business, just like your two screwed up relationships is none of mine." The pitcher shoots out of her seat and storms out of the apartment, nearly ripping the door off its hinges and slamming it shut behind her with so much force that it makes the wall hangings rattle.

Deep brown, and puffy, eyes crack open early the next morning. Music from her iPod blares into Callie's ears, the Latina having put them in after kicking Arizona out last night so Torres couldn't hear the blonde asking to be let back in. The catcher was pissed, and hurt, and miserable. And she didn't want to let Arizona off just because she'd flash those beautiful blue eyes.

Only 24 hours ago, Callie Torres woke up with her arms wrapped around, who she thought, was the most amazing and most beautiful woman in the world. They had made love into the wee hours of the morning, and the captain half expected to wake up to some lazy morning sex as well. But the day started by Arizona pulling away… again. And it just got worse after that. Not only was their relationship, whatever it might have been at the time, announced on live TV for all of America to see, but Callie herself was outed. It's not the fact that she is ashamed or embarrassed by the fact that she is gay, or bi, or whatever she is, it's the fact that something so personal was dragged out before she was ready. Add on top of all that her father showing up and demanding Callie abandon the team and go back home, Torres is feeling pretty ganged up on.

But the long hours of self-imposed solidarity gave the captain plenty of time to think. Looking back now, Callie can't believe she let herself get so sidetracked with the NewGirl. How could she risk everything she has worked for since High School just because of a pretty blonde? What came over her? She's known Arizona a couple months, and yet Torres was willing to jeopardize gold… her gold… in order to what? To try and play therapist to the broken beauty? To try and start a relationship that Robbins herself didn't want? Well… no more. Her team is in the Olympics, they are starting the second round of competition and now, more than ever, Callie should be focused on the game. Arizona is her teammate, her pitcher, nothing more.

With renewed determination, the catcher pulls on some workout clothes, ties her long, raven tresses in a ponytail, and plugs in her headphones. During the long summer months of tryouts, the Latina would run when she needed to remind herself why she's here. And she's going to run again.

But what she doesn't expect is a blonde to come falling into the bedroom as soon as Callie opens the door. Blue eyes snap open as her support gives way, Arizona having been using the locked bedroom door as a prop to sleep against. The captain stares down at the woman, quickly covering her shock with a mask of pure distaste.

"Did you sleep there all night?" Callie asks in a rough tone.

Arizona struggles to sit back up, the cold, hard tiled floor not being the most comfortable surface to try and sleep on, and groans "You wouldn't let me in."

"There's always the other bedroom." Torres snaps back, stepping over the crippled woman and heading into the living room.

"Addison took-" But that's not really important right now, and the pitcher changes course. "Callie, we need to talk."

"No, we don't." The Latina replies, stepping up to the bathroom sink and quickly brushing the morning breath from her mouth. She can feel the blonde staring at her, and she doesn't dare to look up into the mirror because Callie knows bright blue eyes will be there, pleading for another chance. But Torres is done giving chances.

Arizona silently pleads for the Latina to look up, to give her something, but Callie keeps her gaze averted. A sigh falls from pink lips and the blonde cracks her neck in frustration. "God, I hate it when you do that." Callie growls, pushing past the smaller woman standing at the threshold and head for the apartment door.

"Where are you going?" Robbins asks.

"No where." Torres answers shortly, and with that she's gone, leaving a very affronted blonde behind to figure out how exactly to salvage this very messy situation.

Carlos Torres arrives back at Olympic Village in much the same mood as he left. He is a busy man and having to take time out of his schedule to fly to London and pick up his daughter is not something he is happy about. But when he opened his morning newspaper yesterday and saw the large picture of Callie and some other woman, whom he now knows is a teammate, embraced in a less than innocent kiss, Carlos was livid. His daughter was raised with better morals and values than that, and the only way to help her is to take her away from the evil influences that USA's softball team has obviously instilled on her. What other choice does he have? Callie is falling, and he has to catch her.

At just after 8 am, the finely dressed and polished Carlos raps on the door of the coaches' apartment. Having been expecting the man, Coach Webber quickly opens it and invites one of his largest sponsors inside. It was a challenge to get Mr. Torres to go back to his hotel last night, and only the promise of resuming their conversation early this morning would suffice. So now Webber must figure out how to not only keep his team well-endorsed, but also how to keep his star player a part of the ranks as well.

Taking a seat in one of the firm armchairs, Carlos gets straight to business. "So, Mr. Webber, what is the process for taking my Calliope out of here?"

Richard, as well as three other tense coaches standing by, wrings his hands and replies "Sir, I'm asking you to reconsider."

"That's out of the question." The elder Torres shoots down immediately. "Either Calliope comes home with me today, or you will lose every dollar that I am donating to the team." The two men stare at one another, each waiting for the other to blink first. But Carlos is an accomplished business man; he is the owner of one of the largest and most prestigious hotel chains on the East Coast. Men like Richard Webber don't scare or intimidate him.

With a sigh, Richard looks over his shoulder and says to Sloan, "Go ask Torres to join us." Mark's strong jaw clenches, the coach not liking the idea of losing his best catcher and friend this close to the end, but he obeys anyways.

Arizona keeps watch over the closed bathroom door. A half hour ago a very sweaty, and still pissed off Callie came back after a long run. The Latina didn't even look at the blonde as she stormed past Robbins and locked herself in the bathroom. The pitcher has been trying to think of something to say to make all this better but… how can she know what to say when she, herself, doesn't know what the hell she is doing. What are they? Are they girlfriends? Friends with benefits? Is this something real? Or just a summer fling? What kind of future do they have with one another and is it even worth fighting for? Arizona doesn't know.

But all that is quickly forgotten as Callie opens the bathroom door, her raven hair wet and falling around her shoulders and her body wrapped in a towel. Dark eyes flick up to meet blue for only a second before Torres looks away again. The catcher moves to her bedroom, Arizona quickly following, but Callie slams the door shut just as the blonde approaches.

"Damn it." Arizona growls, trying the door knob but finding it locked again. Pounding on the door, she exclaims "Calliope, let me in." All she gets is silence. "We need to talk! Come on, Callie. Stop acting like a child!" The surgeon waits and waits but gets nothing in response. She pounds on the door, prompting some less than nice words to be yelled from the two other sleeping players.

Minutes pass, but still nothing. Now Arizona is going from sorry to pissed off. "Torres, open this damn door! You really think running from this will work?!" At that, the door is yanked open with as much force as the Latina can muster, dressed in clean clothes and hair still wet.

Eyes dark as night stare down into blue and Callie sneers "You'd know what running looks like, wouldn't you?" A look of shock slackens Arizona's face. Holding up her hand to her ear, Callie mimics a phone and plays "Ring ring. Hi, pot? This is Arizona. Just calling to let you know, you're black."

"Callie-" The blonde tries again but her captain is having none of it.

"What? It's ok for you to push me away but… How dare I push you away, right?" Torres spits just as someone knocks on their front door. Pushing past a still shocked pitcher, Callie opens the door to find her coach standing there looking very unhappy. "Let me guess, my father." All Mark does is nod. Running her towel through her hair one more time, she tosses on the kitchen counter and slips into some flip flops.

Arizona moves to follow the pair, but at the door Callie turns to face her. "Where do you think you're going?"

"With you." Robbins answers.

"I don't need you, Arizona." Torres replies harshly.

"I have a say in this, too." Arizona rebuttals, taking another step forward only to have a very intimidating Latina step in her way.

"This isn't about you!" Callie snaps. "You wanted off the hook; I'm letting you off the hook, Arizona. You don't owe me anything. My father is here because of me. I don't want your help; I don't need your help. So unless we are on the field, stay away from me and stay out of my business." The blonde almost shivers at how icy cold the Latina has turned, those brown eyes that use to be so warm and comforting now as sharp as daggers.

Without another word, Callie turns on her heel and leaves the apartment to go and face her father. She's not exactly sure what to say, or how he'll take it. But during her run Callie straightened out her priorities. She's not here for a girlfriend, or a relationship. She sees that now. Arizona has just been a distraction, a speed bump, a mistake. The win has always been the treasure at the end of the journey, the gold medal, the victory. That is what Callie craves, that is what she has worked towards for years and years. And nothing, not even her powerful father or a beautiful blonde, can steer her away.

All of Team USA, save for a certain Latina, sit in silence as they await for their head coach to speak. Arizona nervously picks at her nails while everyone else speculates as to what this impromptu meeting could be about. The butterflies in the blonde's stomach have been working up a storm, and now not only is Callie shutting her out, but Addison and Teddy are still pissed off from the way Robbins treated them last night. It seems like everyone has turned on her, and suddenly the pitcher feels very tired.

The door across the hallway opens, muffled voices of Callie and Carlos barely audible, and then everyone jumps at the slamming that quickly follows. Silence fills the air again, all eyes turned towards the apartment where their captain was having a screaming match with her father. It wasn't long into the conversation that Carlos asked Webber and the rest of the coaches to leave, and now everyone is awaiting the decision.

A minute passes, then two. At five minutes Arizona has nearly talked herself into going across the hallway and seeing if Callie is still there, but just as she braces herself to stand, the door opens and her catcher enters. Even though Torres has spent the last five minutes trying to hide the traces of her tears, Arizona quickly notices the redness and slight puffiness to her eyes. Avoiding eye contact with everyone, the Latina takes a spot in the corner and waits.

Taking her presence as meaning Torres is staying, Richard clears his throat and says "I'll try to make this quick. I'm sure everyone knows by now that certain… things… have come to light. Namely, the breaking of a team rule." Arizona's cheeks suddenly become very hot and her eyes, that up to this point have been glued on a somber looking Callie, fall to the floor. "When you all became a part of this team, you signed an agreement. One of those stipulations being that any relationship within the team is prohibited. Now… it has come to my attention that more than just one individual has crossed that line."

"It was one time!" April exclaims, her anxiety becoming too great to contain. All eyes dart to her and the blush in her face cranks up about ten degrees. "Two… it was twi- Ok! Three times. But I told Jackson that-"

"Avery?" Yang interrupts. "You and Avery?" She asks, getting a nod from the flustered redhead. Cristina looks between her teammate and the trainer across the room who is now trying to hide his face, and smiles. In an almost proud voice, she says "Nice work, Kepner."

"That's not…" Richard tries, but sees that this could quickly get out of hand. "We have rules for a reason. That reason isn't a relationship, but what could happen if a relationship fails. We spend most of our time within 30 feet of one another, and to have hurt feelings among us would only serve to make things more difficult."

"Just look at Derek and myself." Addison sneers, giving Arizona the stink eye. "Right, Robbins?"

"Oh why don't you bite-" Arizona snarls but gets cut off.

"Enough!" Webber snaps. Glancing around the faces of his team, he takes a deep breath and says "Things have gotten out of control. There is too much sneaking around and breaking of rules. …Maybe it's because it's prohibited that it has become a problem. So, I have decided to repeal the rule." All eyes snap to their coach as players and coaches hear what he is saying. "As long as it doesn't interfere with our performance on the field, be with whoever you want to be. But if it does become a problem come game time, don't be surprised when I have no patience. You're grown adults, you make your own decisions. It's up to you to weigh those choices."

Standing and heading for the door, Webber adds one last thing. "You ladies, and gentlemen, have a little over 24 hours to work whatever it is you need to work out. But tomorrow, I expect Team USA to be ready to play ball. …Don't disappoint me." With another glance to his team, the head coach leaves the apartment to prepare for tomorrow's game.

Players, coaches, and trainers alike all sit in silent, each processing what just happened at their own speed. Some couldn't care less and quickly leave to enjoy the rest of their day off, while others catch the eye of those who they have been sneaking around with. With a smile, both April and Jackson leave together, hand in hand in public for the first time. Lexie winks at Mark, then stands and leaves, Sloan not far behind.

Soon it's only a handful of people left, Arizona staring at the brooding Latina still camped in the corner. Callie is still chewing over her encounter with her father, the weight of what had happened resting heavily on her heart. He wanted to bring her home, make her leave her team. But she wouldn't. Callie yelled, her father yelled. Things were said. Mean and hurtful things. …But then her father brought the axe down. He threatened to cut her off, from everything. The money, the family, the life. …So she cut him off. And it hurts.

Arizona can see the heaviness in Callie's body and she wants so much to go over there and hug the catcher, but those words Callie said just before leaving to meet her father still ring in her ears. So all she does is stare… and wait. Wait for some sign that Callie is ready to let Arizona in again.

Only when she feels the tickling of a tear sliding down her cheek does Callie realize the room has gone quiet. She looks up and finds concerned blue eyes staring back at her, Arizona perking up just a little at the fact that Callie is finally moving. But the Latina doesn't even acknowledge the blonde; instead she wipes the moisture from her face and heads for the door.

Arizona watches her go, not having missed that lone tear streaking tanned flesh, and pleads "Calliope, please…" But it's not enough. With a soft click of a closing door, Robbins finds herself alone for the second time today.

The crowd within the Olympic Softball stadium seems to have doubled since USA's last preliminary game. The field is down to four teams, and the electricity filling the air is palpable. It's been 24 hours since everything seemed to have imploded on itself, and yet Arizona finds herself in her uniform right alongside everyone else. Callie hasn't said a single word to her pitcher since yesterday morning, but now its game time meaning that she has to be professional. Arizona is starting off, which means she and Callie must work as a team even though both are broken hearted.

That loss of ease between pitcher and catcher has not gone unnoticed by the rest of the team, and with the help of their interview and a not so discrete article in multiple papers, their relationship is now known. What's left of it? No one is certain. But Callie has been given a bit more space because no one wants to experience the wrath of a pissed off captain.

After a favorable coin toss, Callie and Arizona, as well as the rest of the starting lineup, step out of the dugout and head to their positions. Normally the catcher accompanies the blonde to the mound, but Torres immediately heads toward her plate.

"Hey, Boss…" Arizona calls as she crosses the chalk. Callie turns, her dark eyes finding blue from behind her catcher's mask. The pitcher tries to find something to say, something to make everything ok but comes up empty. Instead, all she can offer is "I'm sorry."

Torres just shakes her head and says "Focus on the game, Robbins."

Considering the fact that Callie can't stand to be in the same time zone as Arizona right now, the two are performing well. The blonde is on fire, giving the Russians a run for their money. The first three innings come and go and USA remains clean. Only two runners have made it on base, but expert fielding and teamwork as resulted in a score of 4-0, USA in the lead. Torres has been able to tunnel her entire focus into the game, pushing away all the hurt feelings out of her mind. She leads the team like a true leader, calling pitches perfectly and leading by example when it comes to batting.

The top of the fourth inning brings the top of the Russians batting order. The other team has gone from competitive to angry, not liking the fact that USA is disposing of them so easily. Their tactics and game play have taken a turn to the more questionable side. Slides are more aggressive, tags are stronger, and the pitches are getting closer and closer to the American batters. But the US doesn't let that get to them, instead forcing the Russians to play their ball.

Arizona controls the tempo of the game from the mound, always aware of the runners on base and the batter in the batter's box. Thanks to Lexie's photographic memory, mixed with Torres's excellent instincts, the blonde is able to face every single Russian hitter with a perfect game plan. When she feels that someone is getting a little anxious on the bags, the pitcher steps off the mound and ices them out a bit. When a batter gets lazy, Arizona puts her back on their toes by giving them a couple pitches to chase. All in all, USA is playing gold level ball.

The first two batters she faces in the fourth hit solid bloopers and get on base. The threat of Callie's cannon of an arm keeps them on their base, but Robbins can feel the pressure of those runners watching and waiting… waiting for a slip up. The third hitter steps up and after fighting until a full count, she sends a rocket to the left side of the field. Erica, playing further down the base line because of the runner on second, pushes off her toes and lays out to stop the grounder. Rolling and popping up on a knee, the veteran player sends a heater to first where Teddy uses her long limbs to stretch out and barely beat the runner.

"Out!" The first plate umpire exclaims before calling time. As usual, the ball gets sent around the horn before the infield convenes in the pitcher's circle. A round of high fives, and then everyone heads back.

Waiting a beat until most move out of earshot, Callie nods to the runner now on third and says "Stay tight. She's got some wheels and has been itching to jump all day."

"Right." Arizona replies, glancing to the smirking Russian on third. Even though an out was made, the runners advanced creating a more difficult situation. Normally Robbins would consider walking the next batter just to fill the bags and create a force, but she's on fire right now and doesn't want to give up that walk.

Sloan thinks the same because when Callie looks to her coach for a sign he gives her nothing. So Torres sets up and signals for something high and inside. The number four batter for Russia fights every pitch sent by the US until the count is 2-2 with three foul tips. So the captain decides to shake her up a bit and calls for a drop. Arizona nods and winds up, but at the release her fingers slip just a tad. Normally Torres is able to stop anything within a five foot radius of her, but the stray pitch, mixed with the dirt kicked up from the batter when trying to move out of the way, Torres loses track of it.

The ball bounces off her glove and goes rolling back behind her to the backstop. In a split second a chain reaction happens. The runner on third makes a jump, Arizona racing as fast as she can to home to cover while Callie chases after the ball. She rips off her mask to get a better field of vision in the same second her pitcher arrives at home. In a move perfected from hundreds and thousands of hours of practice and game play, the Latina finds the ball and throws it to Arizona without even taking the half second to find her.

The blonde can almost feel the runner coming at her like a freight train, but she keeps her eyes on the sailing ball. Only when its firmly in her glove does the pitcher turn and get set for the impending play. But the Russian runner isn't about to give up so easily, not after having to fight for four innings just to make it to third. Falling into a perfect slide, the comes in with cleats up, digging into the flesh, muscle and tissue of Arizona as the two collide.

Robbins falls on top of the Russian, pain coursing up and down her leg, but her grip on the ball stays solid. The dust settles and the pitcher raises her glove for the ump, eliciting a loud "OUT!"

Callie, having been all of five feet away from the action, is at the dog pile immediately. A look of pain is etched on the blonde's face and the Latina reaches out to help her up. "Arizona?" She asks softly.

"Ow." She groans, attempting to stand but her knee giving out.

Callie sets her back down while the Russian scampers off, Torres looking toward her bench and calling "Medic!" Avery and Karev are racing out onto the field the next minute, their training bags ready for action. Looking back down at her injured teammate, Callie can see the torn material of their pants, along with a trail of blood leaking from a nasty looking wound.

Time is called and the US fielders all gather into a huddle while their trainers take a look at Arizona. Callie gets pushed back and out of the way, but she never looks away from the grimacing blonde in the dirt.

"I don't think it's broken." Arizona growls as Avery tests her knee. Not only did the impact of the run in knock the air out of her chest, but the Russians cleat found a nice fleshy area just behind Robbins' knee and only dug in more when the blonde fell.

"Can you stand?" Alex asks as he and Jackson help the blonde up to her feet. Arizona takes one step, then another, and then another. The crowd starts to cheer as they see the pitcher walking, prompting Arizona to let go of the two guys and limp off the field under her own powers.

While Lucy and Erica, subbed in for Arizona and Callie, get warmed up, those not on the field gather around as the trainers continue to examine their number one pitcher. Webber anxiously waits for the news, all the while trying to think up alternative game plans if Arizona is done for. Callie, having been put at third after being pulled from catching, keeps her attention focused on the field, trying not to think about how much she actually wants to be in the dugout with her pitcher.

"Good game. Good game. Good game. Good game." Those two words are said about a hundred times as the Americans and Russians shake hands. After seven innings, US has come out on top again. Lucy and Erica continued to uphold the scoreless streak of the Russians, and now everyone is riding high on yet another win.

The team packs up and heads back to get some food while Webber tells Callie to talk to the reporter. With a sigh, Torres approaches the woman with the microphone, the Latina immediately starting to sweat just at the sight of that intimidating camera.

"So Callie, another win. How is everyone feeling?" The woman asks, the bright spot light shining right into her eyes.

"Uhh, uhh, g-good." Torres stutters, trying to ignore the fact that even though she has no food in her stomach there is a very real possibility that she may ruin this woman's shoes.

"Tomorrow is the Japanese. Think you'll do better than the last match up between you two?" The interviewer asks.

"Yep." Callie answers, her gaze drifting from the woman holding the microphone to the blonde limping by. The interviewer follows the players line of sight and sees Arizona.

"Arizona!" She calls, flagging the pitcher down. Blue eyes go wide in surprise, but within ten seconds she too is being roped into an interview. "How's the leg? Will you be good to play tomorrow or will USA have to take on the, now said, top ranking team in the field without their ace pitcher?"

"I, uhhh… Yeah, I'll be ready. Nothing a little ice and bengay won't fix." Robbins answers, the two of them chuckling while Callie makes a very awkward chortling sound.

"And any developments on the romantic front? How has the competition affected yours and Callie's relationship?" It's too juicy for the interviewer to just dismiss, especially when she has both women right here in front of her camera. It's all about the ratings after all.

"No comment." Callie sneers, then walks away from the camera. Arizona watches her go, and with an apologetic smile to the interviewer, she takes off after the Latina.

By now most of US is already gone, their equipment having been taken up and the team now focused on getting food. All those thoughts and feelings that the captain had been ignoring now come racing back. The game is over so now there is nothing for her to focus on besides the ache in her chest. Her conversation with her father keeps playing on a loop in her mind, and the hurt of Arizona walking away from her tears at her heart. She put herself out there and got rejected. Not just by Arizona, but by her father. Sure, she got Carlos to not pull his funding from the team, but he cut her off instead. He is Callie's father, he is suppose to love her no matter what.

Arizona tries to keep pace with the retreating captain, but her gimpy knee slows her down so she yells "Callie!" Torres doesn't stop, but instead quickens her stride. "God damn it Torres. Just stop!"

"Why?" Callie snaps, spinning around staring right at the blonde. "Why, Arizona? What do you have to say now?"

"I… I'm-"

"Sorry. Yeah, you said that already." Torres bites, all her hurt and anger quickly bubbling out. "What else do you got?" Arizona searches for everything she wants to say, but there is too much and her mouth doesn't seem to be able to catch up to anything her brain is telling her to say.

"God!" Callie cries, tears springing from her eyes. "What? What, Arizona? What can I possibly give you now? Huh?" The darkness of the night surrounds them, only a handful of people being anywhere's close enough to hear their conversation. "I am so tired of this hot and cold thing, Arizona. I can't do it anymore. Ok? I don't want to do it anymore. I am a captain, I can't act like a love sick puppy anymore."

Silence comes again, blue eyes meeting brown across the darkness, only a couple street lamps lighting the area. Arizona takes a couple steps forward, and says "I never wanted to hurt you, Calliope. …I care for you too much. I just… I want to be with you, I just don't know if I can."

A sarcastic laugh falls from plump lips and Callie says "I'm out of my element here. …I play softball for a living, I intimidate and I punish batters. Most days I wear the last night's eyeliner to practice. I don't give a crap what other people think about me because I am a happily independent, strong and successful woman and I like it that way. …Only when you say things like that, it makes things too hard."

"Calliope…" Arizona sighs, reaching out to find some sort of connection with her catcher.

Taking a step back, dark eyes find blue and Callie says "Please… don't chase me anymore. …Unless you're ready to catch me." The two stand in silence, each waiting for the other to make a move, but neither does. As much as Arizona wants so badly to pull the Latina in and kiss her, kiss her like she's never been kissed before, she can't. Because she doesn't know if she's ready.

So with one last falling tear, Callie turns and walks away, not knowing if she just made the biggest mistake of her life or if she just saved herself a life's worth of heartache.

AN2: Are things going to get worse before they get better? Stay tuned.