Chapter 1

Two months had passed since Callie Torres had left her ex's hotel room.

Two months, three weeks, and six days.

On that same day, she'd returned to Mark's apartment and immediately begun packing her belongings. She'd needed to get away from everything that reminded her of her mistakes. She and Mark had not been the same since her desperate departure. It had been an unfortunate consequence of their actions, but unfortunate or not, Callie had tried to make the transition as painless as possible.

Mark had been hurt by her inability to talk with him. He'd not been able to understand everything that had been going on in Callie's head the entire time Arizona had been away. There was no way for him to understand. There was no way for her to explain the magnitude of everything that had happened, not only in recent months, but in recent hours. The older man had cornered her at the hospital the next day and questioned her on her sudden need to vacate his apartment.

"What the hell is going on with you?" Mark asked.

Callie sighed and looked around. Nurses and orderlies going about their everyday business slowed their pace when they saw the two of them huddled in a corner together. She didn't need more hospital gossip assaulting her and making a mockery out of her failures and mistakes.

Setting her jaw and meeting Mark's blue-gray eyes, she replied, "Mark, you're my best friend. You've been around for all my break ups and you've picked up the pieces in the aftermath, but we need some space from one another. This co-dependence we have is unhealthy."

Mark stepped away from her and looked her over. Her eyes were brighter than they had been the day before and her, already glistening, skin seemed to glow from an unknown source. The woman who had left his apartment the previous day running after her ex was not the woman standing before him.

Granted, his friend wasn't standing as tall as he knew she was capable, but from what he could see, she was no longer as broken as she'd been.

"This has to do with Robbins? What happened?" he asked after a moment.

Callie smiled, though Mark was unsure if it was from regret or hope. He watched as the dark haired woman crossed her arms and released a heavy breath.

"I went to her hotel, Mark. At first, all we did was scream at each other and accuse the other for all of our problems. I'd never seen her like that." she added. Her eyes lost focus briefly as she remembered her argument with Arizona.

The emotions from the previous day were still giving her an overload. She'd never taken part in so passionate an exchange in her life. Both she and Arizona had verbally assaulted the other with no mind as to how their words would have affected the other.

Pain, betrayal, anger, and sadness had been at the forefront of their spat. Those emotions had laid the groundwork for everything else that had happened between them. From those emotions had come, remorse, understanding, lust, and finally, love.

"Like what?" Mark questioned, breaking her reverie.

Callie shook her head. "I can't explain it. Arizona has always been the type person to compartmentalize, you know? She smiles and laughs and ensures that people don't see what's really going on behind that mask. She had me fooled for so long that she was untouchable, but yesterday, I saw the person she hides from the world."

"So, you two are back on or what? Is she going back to Africa?"

Mark was unsure what to think. When Callie had come to him months ago and made it known that she wanted him to help her move on and forget, he'd been shocked. Callie was his friend. The two of them had been each others support system and he'd believed that their meaningless rolls in the hay were over.

He had half expected Callie to stop him the first time. She hadn't. One time had turned into two and then three. Before either of them had known what had happened, they were both back to their old ways with each other.

Mark hated that. He regretted allowing things to progress as far as they had. He knew Callie was hurting and was desperate for some connection with another living person. He'd known that and yet, despite knowing, he'd slept with her anyway. Despite knowing that he, himself, was in love with Lexie Grey, he'd still listened to the old Mark buried deep in his mind.

When he'd walked into his living room the day before and seen Arizona standing in his door, he'd never felt more awful in his life. Not even when Derek had found out he'd slept with Addison. The look on Arizona's face had shattered his self image and in that moment, Mark had truly seen himself for the first time in his life. What he had seen had turned his stomach.

He didn't want to be that guy. He had enjoyed being Callie's friend. He had enjoyed finally gaining Arizona's respect. He'd been growing, becoming a man. With one lousy lapse in judgment, he'd thrown away everything he'd worked so hard to build.

"No, she's not going back to Africa, Mark. I can't really get into why. As far as us getting back together? I don't know. I just need time to think and get myself together. Cristina is letting me stay with her until I get my apartment back."

Callie's words curdled in Mark's ears. He knew what she was telling him. She was needing time away from him. Though he understood her reasons, a part of him still felt betrayed by her actions. He hadn't kept things going on his own.

The old Mark probably would have argued with her. He probably would have made a sexist remark and ruined any chance of them maintaining their friendship. Alas, the new Mark, the Mark the older man wanted to be, only smiled, nodded his head and walked away from her. His friend. His sister.

Callie shook the memory from her mind and entered her apartment building. It felt good to be back in her own place. Normalcy was easier to obtain if one was surrounded by things that grounded them in their sense of self. The only negative feeling attached to being back in her apartment was the knowledge that Arizona wasn't with her.

The tall Latina had been back in her apartment for nearly three weeks and in that time, she'd not slept in her room once. Her room was still their room. Arizona's belongings had been packed away months earlier and when Callie had come across them while unpacking, she'd been so overcome with sorrow and longing that she'd given up on the idea of truly becoming settled.

For three weeks straight, Callie had slept on the couch. She'd only removed what items had been necessary to her every day life. She'd done her best to sort her belongings from Arizona's and had continued to try to ease back in to being herself.

Living alone had never been something Calliope Torres had been good at. From as far back as she could remember, she'd been steadily involved with one person after another and had moved from place to place accordingly. The prospect of living alone, without friends or lovers or fellow doctors had scared Callie. It still did.

Scared or not, Callie was determined to be the person Arizona had helped her to become. She was set on being a healthy, grounded, mature individual.

Entering her apartment, the raven haired woman laughed to herself. The notion sounded better in her head than it did when it came to its actual application. Her days were spent at the hospital. She surrounded herself with friends, sans Mark, and spent time between surgeries brushing up on her research. She paid more attention to her residents and, overall, tried to keep her head down.

After work, she occasionally joined Teddy or Meredith or Cristina at the bar across from the hospital, but more often than not, she simply returned to her apartment, ordered a pizza, and watched a movie.

Some people would probably have said that Callie was avoiding her life. They would have commented on her lack of a social circle, but to the ortho surgeon, those people understood very little about her.

She was trying to grow and become comfortable with herself. She was trying to move away from her self destructive tendencies. More than that, Callie was attempting to show Arizona that she could function without her and not become a mess in the process.

As she walked across her living room, Callie thought back to her first conversation with the blonde after their encounter at her hotel.

"Well, I'm really sorry to hear that you handed the project over to someone else. The work would have reflected highly on the hospital and, well, after the shooting, we really need good publicity."

Arizona nodded her head at Chief Webber's words. She knew the man was more upset than he was letting on. When she'd decided to come in and speak with him, the blonde had come to the decision to not let him know of her true reasons for returning to the States. Using family and personal obligations as a cover, Arizona had managed to, for the most part, remain in Richard Webber's good graces.

"Yes, sir. I understand. The plan I had for the project has been put into place and the doctor I left in charge has assured me that things will be carried out as I wished. The grant is still in my name, sir, so that alone should be good publicity. I regret that I won't be overseeing the project, but the end result will be just the same and that is what's really important."

Richard clasped his hands together and placed them on his desk in front of him. Biting his cheek, he regarded the blue-eyed woman in front of him.

"You're right. Unfortunately though, you'll have to wait to continue your work here in the hospital. I offered Dr. Stark a temporary contract and, though your residents think very little of him, I'd hate to have to cut his time short. The contract I offered him was only six months. I wanted to see how he got along with the pace of things here at Seattle Grace. Rest assured, Dr. Robbins, when his contract is up, your job will be waiting on you. If you still want it, that is."

Arizona smiled fully and moved to stand from her chair across from the older man.

"I can't wait, sir. Thank-you very much."

Exiting the Chief's office, the small blonde headed woman walked through familar halls and passed comforting rooms, nurses stations and surgical boards.

As she was passing the first floor on-call room, a door to her immediate left opened suddenly.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I-I didn't-" the owner of the startled voice stopped when they noticed with whom they were speaking.

Arizona swallowed hard and let her eyes travel over Callie's scrub covered body. She'd always loved the way the other woman looked in those dark blue attending's scrubs.

"Hey" she said shyly.

Callie rubbed her eyes and focused on her once again. Leaning a hand, heavily, against the frame of the door, she replied, "Arizona, hey. Wh-what are you doing here? Are you okay?"

The blonde glanced around them and was surprised at the few amount of people walking the hospital this time of day. Glancing back at her ex, she couldn't help but attempt to peer inside the room behind the other woman. Was Callie alone? Was someone else with her? Was Mark in the room as well?

It had only been four days since Callie had left her hotel. Though the two of them had spoken at great length and Callie had informed her that she was no longer going to be sleeping with Mark Sloan, the blonde still couldn't help but wonder and cringe at the thought of the answer.

"There's no on else in here, Arizona." the Latina said quietly reading her mind.

The blue eyed woman attempted a smile, but the gesture fell short. "Sorry, it's not my business anyway."

Callie lowered her eyes sadly. Sighing deeply, she looked back to the blonde before gently grabbing her wrist and pulling her inside the room.

Once the door was shut, Callie pressed Arizona between the door and her own body. She felt the tension that sprang up in the other woman's body at her closeness.

Placing her hands on the door to either side of the blonde's head, Callie remained silent for a moment as she listened to the tight breathing of the woman in front of her. Her peace and salvation was standing so closely, it was painful. She hated the current state of their affairs. All she wanted to do was touch Arizona. Hug her. Kiss her. She wanted her love, her respect, her trust.

"It is your business, Arizona."

The warmth of Callie's breath washed across the blonde's lips and caused her throat to tighten. Every inch of her body was in some contact with Callie's and the heat was making it difficult to think. She could feel her body trying to betray her. Callie's comforting, hot body was seducing her and she was fighting with everything she was to ignore the temptation of giving in to her heart's desire.

Her brain came to her rescue and reminded her that, a very brief time ago, the woman in front of her had been beneath the body of Mark Sloan.

"Callie, I can't do this. Please." she whispered. Her own breathing was shallow due to the fact that she refused to inhale too deeply. Doing so would have only increased her contact with the other woman and Arizona was trying desperately to minimize that.

She heard the dark skinned woman take a deep breath before moving away from her. Relief flooded her and she found her mind able to think more clearly.

Leaning against the door, she watched as Callie moved away from her and sat on the bed.

"I'm sorry." she heard her ex say, "What are you doing here?"

Arizona swallowed hard and licked lips that were suddenly dry. She hadn't been expecting to run into Callie today. Things were still too fresh. Her mind was still processing what had happened, what had been said. Her heart was still fighting with itself on what it wanted. In short, Arizona was completely turned inside out. Being in an on-call room, with the one woman who made her question everything, was incredibly dangerous.

"I was talking with the Chief. He's assured me that as soon as Dr. Stark's contract is up, I'll have my position back."

Callie smiled and tapped her foot nervously on the floor. Things were going to be harder than she'd expected. Arizona's reactions to her in close quarters were still far from where they used to be. The other woman still flinched and jumped and, overall, came across as nervous by her presence. She hated that, but, that was the way things were between them now.

"That's good, Arizona." she said, as she tried to force a sense of happiness into her words.

"Yeah."

An uncomfortable silence overcame the two women. It seemed to suck the very air from the room as suffocating as it was.

"Did-did you tell the Chief why you-"

Arizona stopped her before she could finish asking the question. "No!" she said, harsher than she had intended.

Callie's eyes widened before her face fell. The blonde noticed the defeated sag in her ex lover's shoulders and she sighed. Despite knowing that the woman on the bed had, very recently, slept with Mark Sloan, she still found that she couldn't hurt her.

"No, Callie, I didn't. I don't want people knowing something so personal."

The Latina said nothing. Her only response was a slight, and very subtle, nod of her head. Her pager beeped at her and reminded her of why she had originally been leaving the on-call room.

Standing up and walking towards the door, she stopped just shy of turning the handle when she reached the blonde. The other woman hadn't moved.

Arizona was looking at her with unsure eyes and their close proximity caused her chest to spasm. She made sure she didn't corner the other woman, but she maintained their eye contact.

The blonde was the first to move. Leaning towards her, Callie thought Arizona was going to kiss her, but when their foreheads touched, she realized that wasn't to be the case.

Arizona simply rested her head against Callie's and tried not to get lost in her scent. She could sense the other woman's confusion and her burning desire to touch her. The blonde turned her head and brought her lips to within an inch of her ex's mouth. She heard Callie take in a deep breath and, as they breathed in the other's air, she wanted nothing more than to indulge herself in the feeling of the Latina's body. Bringing her left hand to the side of Callie's neck, the blonde sighed heavily and forced herself to pull away.

She saw the dark skinned woman lean into her before she regained herself. When Callie's dark eyes found her own, Arizona saw in them a deep regret and a sorrowful need to reconnect. She hated being the reason behind the confusion she saw on the face in front of her.

Turning away from Callie before she did something she'd regret, Arizona let her fingers slide across a tanned neck before she left the room.

Callie smiled ruefully as her mind finished replaying her encounter with her ex. She had wanted Arizona so badly that day. It had been too soon. She'd known that. The two of them had barely had time to adjust to the fact that Arizona was back, let alone digest everything else that had happened between them.

Callie had known that, but her body had been very hard pressed to listen. It had been drawn to Arizona; the force so powerful, it had both frightened and amazed her.

Her thoughts brought her to the bathroom in her guestroom (which had been Cristina's room several months ago) Stripping out of her clothing, she turned on the hot water in her bathtub before adjusting the knob to the cold water. Turning her shower head on, she sighed and stepped under the spray of hot water.

"Hello?"

The groggy voice on the other end of the phone barely sounded alive, let alone, human.

Teddy Altman looked confused before, "Callie?"

"Uh-huh. What's...matter?"

Again, the slurred speech and half sentences left Teddy feeling as though she were having a one sided conversation. She'd known calling Callie so late was a long shot, but the slender woman was at a loss. Hoping to shock Callie's brain into wakefulness, Teddy continued.

"Callie, it's Arizona."

Her plan worked liked charm. She heard, what she assumed to be, sheets rustling before "What's wrong? Is she okay?"

The change in the other woman's speech and level of alertness was almost palpable. It amazed Teddy, to say the least.

"I don't know, Callie. We haven't gotten a chance to talk much since she's been living with me. I heard her having a nightmare. When I tried to wake her up, she clocked me pretty good across the jaw."

Callie blinked several times and ran a hand through her messy bed hair. Her heart had started pounding frantically when Teddy had mentioned Arizona's name.

"Are you okay? Is she okay?"

Teddy moved her jaw around and winced at the slight pain that was present.

"I couldn't get her to wake up, Callie. She just keeps saying, 'Please don't do this.' "

The Latina's heart jumped into her throat and her stomach threatened to empty its contents. She knew what Arizona was dreaming about. For the life of her, she couldn't understand why Arizona had not spoken to Teddy about her attack. She was unsure of how to respond to the information the other woman had just given her.

Did she tell Teddy and hope that the heart surgeon was able to help her ex? Did she offer her own help even knowing that Arizona most likely didn't want it? Or, did she just feign ignorance and hope that, come morning, everything would be okay?

Life really liked to fuck with her.

"I'm at a loss, Callie. She's been having that nightmare every night since she moved in. I've tried to talk with her about it, but she acts like she doesn't know what I'm talking about. It's worse tonight. I can't get her to wake up. I'm worried about her."

Teddy's words sealed the deal on her decision. Whether or not her ex wanted her to get involved or not, Callie couldn't stand by and let the other woman harm herself. She couldn't let her avoid the issue of her attack and she wouldn't allow her to handle things on her own. She'd told Arizona nearly two months ago, in her hotel room, that she was there for her. She was determined to stand by that statement.

"I'll be right over, Teddy. Thanks for calling me."

When Callie arrived at Teddy's apartment across town, she'd expected to enter the other doctor's home and find that Arizona was awake and well. When Teddy had opened the door and appeared helpless, Callie had known that her ex was still in the mist of her own personal hell.

"Thank-you for coming. This seems so silly and she'll probably hate me in the morning, but I didn't know what else to do."

The tall Latina entered the semi dark hallway of the front entrance of Teddy's apartment and shrugged out of her jacket.

"It's fine, honestly. I'm glad you called. Where is she?" Callie replied.

She'd never been in Teddy's home before and she found that she was actually upset with herself for that minor detail.

The hazel-eyed heart surgeon sighed with relief and turned away from Callie. Walking down the short hallway, she stopped as she was about to enter her apartment proper.

"This way." she threw over her shoulder before disappearing around a corner to Callie's right.

Callie followed her past a dark blue love seat, which she deposited her jacket on the back of, and around another tight corner before coming to a door concealed in shadow.

"I'm going to try to get some sleep before I have to be at the hospital. If you can't wake her, maybe just being there will ease her out of it." Teddy said, looking hopeful.

The dark skinned woman nodded her head solemnly and watched her friend move past her to, what she assumed to be, her room across from the door she currently stood in front of.

Taking a breath to calm herself, Callie gripped the brass handle in front of her and steeled herself for Arizona's possible reaction to her intrusion.

When she entered the room, she had to allow her eyes a moment to adjust to the added darkness provided by the curtains hanging on the windows to her right.

She could barely make out the form of her ex lover tangled in the dark colored sheets before her. Arizona's occasional whimper or cry of protest broke her heart. She could practically feel the other woman's panicked breathing as she fought her mind's demons.

Moving quietly, so as not to disturb or startle the sleeping woman, Callie made her way slowly to Arizona's bed side. The blonde's whispered pleas were clearer to understand the closer she got to her destination.

"St-stop...I-I...please...don't, don't...somebody...pl-please."

The words moved across her soul and took pieces of her heart. She'd never heard the fear, so evident, in her ex's voice before. Even when Gary Clark had shown up on the peds floor and Arizona had covered small Ruby's body with her own, had her voice sounded so heavy, so frightened.

Callie sat down, gently, next to the blonde and softly called her name. "Arizona? It's Callie. You're okay."

She refrained from touching the other woman. Arizona was still jerking and throwing her arms, wildly, away from her body. Her brow was scrunched, giving her a deep frown line, and Callie could see her pulse beating erratically against her throat.

"Arizona, it's a dream, baby. You're safe and you're here with me. Just calm down, sweetheart. You're here with me." she tried again.

At first, Callie didn't think her words were having any affect on her ex. The smaller woman continued to cry and fight with her nightmare despite Callie's soothing voice. For several minutes, the Latina repeated her words.

Finally deciding to chance physical contact, Callie reached out her left hand and tenderly ran her fingers across Arizona's forehead. She kept her touch as light and non-threatening as possible. The blonde jerked at the contact, but her hands fell to her sides and went limp.

She whimpered something Callie couldn't understand and her legs kicked the sheets from her body. The raven haired woman took in a breath and held it within her chest.

"Arizona, it's just me. He can't hurt you, baby. It's me...it's me."

She noticed her ex lover was sweating profusely as she, once again, moved her fingers tenderly across her brow. Pushing hair away from Arizona's face, Callie let her fingers trail down her cheek softly.

The power Arizona's nightmare had on her slowly started to waver and disappear. It wasn't immediate by any means, but after a time, Callie was able to calm her ex with just her words and her simple touch.

When the last bit of tortured fight left Arizona's body and her breathing started to return to normal, Callie smiled as she watched the transformation that took place on the other woman's face. Her brow ceased its fight with itself and her mouth released the tight grip it had on her cheeks. Before Callie's dark eyes, the woman she loved relaxed and her face mirrored that change.

"You're okay, baby." the tall Latina said once more. She let her fingers move over Arizona's lips in a loving caress.

A hand against the outside of her thigh caught her attention and she realized that the blonde was reaching for her, even in sleep.

"Calliope..."

The voice caused her heart to beat faster. She looked from her thigh to the other woman's face and sighed. She'd been expecting to find her ex awake, but Arizona continued to sleep soundly.

Forcing herself to remain silent, Callie swallowed hard and waited.

"I'm sorry...Callio...sorry...love...you."

The blonde's words were slow, slurred, and heavy with sleep. Had Callie not been so aware of the other woman, nor so close, she was sure she would not have understood them. Arizona's fingers were light against her thigh and they soon lost the energy required to grasp her leg.

Arizona Robbins was now, once again, safely fast asleep.

Callie smiled fondly and ran her fingers over the other woman's features reverently before standing from the bed as smoothly as possible.

Bending down, she covered the blonde with the sheet she'd kicked earlier. When her ex was, once more, covered securely, she moved her head to Arizona's and placed a soft kiss on her hair line.

"I love you, too, baby. Sweet dreams."

Walking away from the other woman, Callie quietly shut the door behind her and left Teddy's apartment.

The water was cleansing as it beat down against her body in heated sheets. She kept her eyes closed and sighed as steam continued to rise around her. She'd been happy that Teddy had called her that night. To her knowledge, Arizona had not spoken with anyone about her frightening attack. Though it had no longer been her place, Callie had felt compelled to advise her ex to seek professional help.

"Callie? What are you doing here?" Arizona asked, confused.

She stepped away from the front door of Teddy's apartment and allowed her ex to enter. Wearing pink lounge pants and a gray hoodie, the blonde suddenly felt self conscious of her appearance.

Callie was dressed in a pair of tight, dark jeans, a deep purple top that clung to her chest perfectly, and her trademark black leather jacket. Her shorter hair, which Arizona was still getting used to, was tossed in a wavy manner around her face and only accentuated the fullness of her lips.

Arizona inhaled deeply and tried to calm her nerves.

Her ex smiled at her when she entered the apartment but she made no move to proceed any further.

"I was hoping to see how you were doing." the taller woman answered.

Arizona frowned and crossed her arms over her chest. She couldn't believe that Callie had come all the way to Teddy's apartment just to see how she was doing. A phone call would have been sufficient.

"Um, I-I'm fine. Eager to get back to work. Why are you asking?"

She was upset with herself for allowing her question to come out more accusatory than she'd meant, but what was done was done.

Callie licked her lips and sighed. She kept her eyes on Arizona's before responding.

"You've been having nightmares, Arizona. Teddy knows about them and I know that you're refusing to talk with anyone about it."

The blonde immediately went on the defensive. Scoffing and throwing herself away from the wall she'd been leaning against, she walked away from her ex and entered the living room. Callie watched the spot where the other woman had been but a moment ago, before following her around the corner.

"Don't do this, Arizona. We're both just trying to help."

When the Latina entered Teddy's small living room, she found it looked drastically different in the sun's light. The heart surgeon had decorated sparingly and what decorations she did have tended to lean towards esoteric art and darker colors.

She found her ex sitting on the love seat she'd placed her jacket on a few nights before and smiled to herself.

On the small flat screen tv below a large window on the far wall, 'Toy Story 3' was playing. Arizona was curled in the corner with her feet tucked underneath her body.

"Callie, I can handle things on my own."

The words were spoken evenly despite the fact that the woman speaking them kept her eyes fixated on the television screen before her.

Callie scratched the back of her neck and moved to sit next to the blonde.

"You handle things fine, Arizona, when I'm here to chase away your nightmares."

The blue eyed woman looked at her suddenly and lowered her brow in silent question. Buzz Lightyear and Woody continued their antics, oblivious to the tension that had just entered the room.

"What are you talking about?" Arizona asked slowly.

Callie smiled sadly at her before standing up and looking around the room. She hadn't wanted to mention her hurried trip/intervention from a few nights ago, but her ex lover's hard-willed stubbornness had forced her hand.

"Teddy called me on Monday, woke me up." she started. Turning to face the blonde again, she continued, "She told me you were having nightmares and that she was worried about you. It hadn't taken much for me to figure out what villains haunted your sleep, Arizona."

The small woman sitting on the love seat lowered her eyes and released an unsteady breath. She knew she'd been having nightmares and she'd known that her roommate had been worried because of them. What she hadn't been aware of was the fact that her friend had been in contact with her ex regarding her twilight struggles.

"She didn't tell me you'd come by that night. I don't remember."

Callie walked towards her and squatted by her legs. She placed her hands on the cushions and tried to ignore the yearning her soul had for the woman regarding her.

"I was here, Arizona. You calmed down when you heard my voice. When I knew you were okay, I left."

The blonde was stunned into silence. She didn't know what to say. Callie had come all the way across town because Teddy had called her and informed she'd been having a nightmare? Her ex hadn't even awakened her to let her know of her presence?

Despite their separation, Arizona knew that Callie had been, and still was, the only person who'd ever been able to chase away her tiny coffins, her nightmares. After all their time apart, her body, even in sleep, still responded to the Latina. Her subconscious still found comfort and sanctuary in her ex.

"Look, you won't talk to Teddy about what happened and you won't talk to me. I get that. I'm not your person anymore, but you need to talk to someone, Arizona. We're both just worried, okay?"

Callie stood up and looked back at the tv. Buzz Lightyear was dancing around Jessie the cowgirl while Mr. Potato Head, his wife, and Slinky watched with amused interest. The Latina chuckled at the scene and turned to leave her ex alone.

"Callie?"

Arizona's soft voice stopped her and she glanced over her shoulder at the question she heard spoken in her name.

"I knew you'd been here that night."

Callie turned around fully to face her ex and raised an eyebrow. The blonde smiled shyly and dimples Callie hadn't seen in weeks appeared on her angelic face.

"When I got up the next morning, I-I thought I smelled your perfume." Arizona said nervously. "I didn't know you'd actually been in my room, b-but I did feel you that morning."

The caramel toned woman smiled fully but said nothing.

"You're still my person, Calliope. I'm just...I'm just trying to teach myself how to trust you again."

Finishing her shower and quickly throwing a towel over her full body, Callie walked out of the quest bathroom and entered her living room. Boxes sat around in various places haphazardly. A plush pillow and a thick blanket joined her couch verifying the fact that she refused to sleep in her own room.

Owen and Derek had helped her in getting her bed set back up and she knew they'd both be slightly offended if they knew she had yet to actually spend a night in it.

Opening a box resting against the left front leg of her coffee table, the brown eyed woman pulled a pair of shorts from its contents as well as a red camisole. Dressing quickly, she towel dried her hair and flopped onto the cushions of her couch.

Two months ago, the love of her life had returned and caught her, so to speak, in bed with Mark Sloan. Two months ago, she'd been as honest with her ex as she could have been.

One month ago, she'd finally gotten her apartment back. In the two months since her life had crashed and burned, Callie could count on one hand the number of times she'd been in contact with Arizona Robbins.

Her impromptu trip to Teddy's apartment a week and a half ago to beg her ex to seek professional help had been the last time she'd spoken with the blonde headed woman.

Part of her wanted to call Arizona and make sure she was okay, but she knew she no longer had the right. If Arizona wanted to speak with her, she knew where to find her and how to contact her. All she could do was continue to live each day one minute at a time until it faded and a new day was born upon its death.

Sighing and propping her feet up on the table in front of her, Callie turned the tv on across the room and flipped through several channels before finally deciding on 'Dr. G: Medical Examiner'

She watched intently as the woman on the tv tried desperately to ascertain the cause of death for a young immigrant who'd died within hours of landing in the U.S.

A soft knock at her door aggravated her as she found herself completely immersed in the program. Figuring it was Mark wanting to talk, she ignored it and focused her attention on Dr. Garavaglia. If it was Mark, she hated to refuse to talk with him. He'd done nothing that she hadn't asked for in the first place. It wasn't entirely his fault that they'd ended up sleeping together again.

Sighing with frustration, she removed herself from her makeshift bed and walked backwards towards her front door. Trying to keep her eyes focused on the medical examiner, she fumbled with the lock to her door.

Opening it and tearing her eyes away from the tv, she felt her breath collide with her insides when she saw who waited opposite her.

Long, blonde hair was pulled up in a high tail and Callie let her eyes trace over the soft, enticing curve of Arizona's neck. Her skin was intoxicating. The other woman was wearing a pair of khaki cargo pants and a yellow fleece pullover and her eyes were bright as they stared at Callie.

The tall Latina swallowed hard when she noticed the, not-at-all-shy way Arizona's eyes feasted on her flesh.

Finding her voice, she finally spoke. "Hey...everything okay?"

The blonde smirked at her and cocked her head to the side. She slid her eyes over the smooth expanse of Callie's chest and slowly trailed them over the swell of her breasts. Taking in a breath, she continued her appraisal as she allowed her eyes to take in the barely there shorts hugging her ex's thighs. She finished her sensual gazing by allowing herself several minutes to drink in the sight of long, tanned legs.

When she finally brought her blue eyes back to Callie's face, she noticed her own labored breathing as well as Callie's. The other woman was watching her with a concerned, though highly aroused, look.

"I came to see you. Can I come in?"