For the love of softball. ( Calzonia story)

Chapter 7

"It's open!" Callie yells over the din of conversation already happening in her apartment. It's date night with the team, and it's time for it to be held in Apartment 16. Glancing over her shoulder, she sees Charlotte and April walk in, closely followed by Teddy and Arizona. It's been a few days since the two pitchers standoff, and the rivals have stayed away from each other since. Amelia is still seething at the thought of her second striking her out. Even more pissed that the blonde was able to get a base off of her. Granted, Callie should have been quicker on the slap, but still... that base counted against Amelia's record.

"Wow! What smells so good?" Teddy asks, coming up behind one of her captains and peeking over Callie's shoulder.

"Back off Altman, it's not ready yet." Torres plays, gently pushing the first baseman out of the tiny kitchen of her apartment. It's not usual practice for a team member to cook for the rest of the team, but then again, most of the women on the team can't cook like the Latina can. Besides the ball diamond, Callie spends her time messing around in the kitchen. Something about combining individual ingredients, each playing their part, and coming out with a winning meal makes her smile. And no, the metaphor is not lost on the first string catcher as her brown eyes scan the apartment busting at the seams with starving team mates. Each of them their own ingredient, needing others to work with them, play off them, to make the end result perfect.

"Hey boss." A pure voice says, pulling the Latina up from the multiple pans covering the stove top. Blue and brown eyes lock, exchanging a small smile neither of them realizes they are giving. "You got something to drink around here?"

"Yeah, pop's in the fridge. Wine on top. And water at the tap." Callie answers, sending the blonde a wink. One that Arizona immediately recognizes from their little scrimmage from practice a couple days ago.

Within twenty minutes, every player has arrived and found a seat. Crammed onto the couch, sitting in chairs, a few finding a comfortable place on the floor, the all settle in for what should be a good night of team bonding. Arizona has found a small group of women who she gets along with, and tries to remain civil while around Amelia and Hahn. The few practices following their scrimmage, those two had been even more icy that usual. Which surprised Arizona because she didn't' think that was even possible.

The two pitchers meet glances a couple times throughout the evening, and Arizona can't help but remember a couple words of wisdom given to her by some veteran players. Don't let her get to you. Show her you can step up. Give her a piece of her own game. Prove you belong. All these things have been running through her mind. Try as she might during practice, Arizona Robbins knows it's going to take something bigger, something more dangerous to get these women to see her as an equal. So, the newcomer has been hatching a plan. And tonight, she intends to implement it.

Seeing that Amelia is deep in conversation with Addison Montgomery, Arizona decides that now is the time to make a move. As sneakily as possible, the blonde grabs the nearly full bottle of coke Shepard has beside her and then turns her back, blocking her hands from Amelia's line of sight. Pulling out an already rigged line of mento's, a line of floss run through the middle of four mints, Arizona opens the coke and slips the Mento's into the bottle. Replacing the cap, screwing it so that the floss keeps the mints held just over the liquid, Arizona puts the Coke back where she found it. The newcomer isn't one for pranks, Arizona thinking that they are stupid, mean and pointless, but she's been pushed too far. And especially by Amelia. Even though the pitcher denies she let the air out of Arizona's tires, Robbins knows it was her.

"What are you doing?" Someone whispers so close to Arizona's ear that it makes her jump. Blue eyes flick to those of her best friend, Teddy.

"Nothing..." The newcomer tries to cover while inconspicuously moving out of range from her little trick. Teddy, not ever being accused of being a slow person, follows her new friend. The first baseman is just about to continue her interrogation when Amelia grabs her bottle of pop and undoes the lid. Without seeing it, she dislodges the floss and the mentos fall into the dark liquid. Brown foam explodes, hitting Amelia dead in the face along with drenching everything and everyone in three foot radius.