Title: One Summer

Author: hASHbrown130

Pairing: Callie and Arizona

Rating: T

Summary: A/U: Told from Arizona herself, Arizona retells you her story of how one summer changed her life. A grief stricken Arizona is living her life as a mere shell of her former self. One summer she meets Callie Torres, a free spirited woman who lives her life to the fullest that she can. Callie opens Arizona's eyes to all the beauty and adventure that life has to offer despite all the bad that life possesses, but Callie too, carries a burden that she is keeping secret from Arizona.

Disclaimer: I do not own Grey's Anatomy. All characters are the property of ABC Studios and Shonda Rhimes. No copyright infringement intended.

A/N: Some of you after reading this may think "WTF? Where's Callie in this?" Sit tight with me on this one. She will come into play soon. It's just important to read the backstory first.

Chapter 1

Life is fascinating to me. It's a pretty vague and blatant statement, I know but the fact of the matter is, life is just completely fascinating. How simple yet complex it can be. How two people's lives can be so inextricably intertwined is a force of nature that is beyond my comprehension. Or how life can throw you all these curve balls. Completely throw you off course, or at least the course that you had set for yourself. That's what happened to me. I thought my life was smooth sailing. I had everything I thought I wanted. But then in the blink of an eye everything changed. I swear, I woke up one morning and my life was no longer on the path that I had laid out for myself. I had been thrown so far off course that for a while I didn't know how to get back on track. That was until I met someone who showed me that some things in life are out of our control and we can either fight it, or accept it and make the best of it. This is my story.

12 Months ago…

Everything in my life was perfectly placed. I had a fantastic job, apartment with a view and a girlfriend who was wonderful in every sense. She was my lover and my best friend. I had finished law school a couple years ago and was offered a job at a very reputable law firm in Los Angeles California. So I had packed up my life in Missouri, my girlfriend since my junior year in college and moved out to LA. Our life was perfect. We were moving in together, I was starting my new job as a lawyer, and my girlfriend Joanne started her job with an advertising agency. Everything was perfect until one day it just wasn't.

I came home one night after a long day of work and I found suitcases sitting at the door of the apartment. I took my jacket off, and started to make my way into the living space when Joanne emerged from the bedroom, with another bag in tow.

"Hey Joanne, you going somewhere?" I asked.

"Umm, yeah you could say that." She responded with a nervous laugh. It was obvious to me that she was avoiding answering my question.

"I know I've asked you this once or twice before, but are you okay?" I asked her. The past few weeks she seemed to be on edge and every time I asked if she was okay, she'd tell me she was fine and that it was just stress from her job. Sad fact is that every time, I'd believe her.

"Yeah I'm fine. Why do you keep asking me that?" She asked me. She put the bag in her hand down by the door with the other one and grabbed her purse. Completely avoiding eye contact with me she started to dig through her purse, frantically looking for something.

"You've been really snarky and sharp with me lately. Quite frankly, it's been hurtful to have to endure your attitude with me." I said sharply.

She stopped what she was doing and made eye contact with me for the first time since I got home. There were tears in her eyes, and that's when I knew. She had been spending a lot of time with Chrissie some girl from the agency she worked for and she kept telling me it was because they were working on a project for a client. Again every time I believed her. I believed her until this moment. This time I knew. It was written all over her face.

"You're moving out." Was all I managed to say.

She looked down to the floor, and I could hear the sadness in her voice. "Yeah."

"It's Chrissie, isn't it?" I asked. I knew it was her, but I had to hear it from her. I had to hear her admit it to my face.

"I didn't plan for this to happen. Arizona you have to know that. I never expected this to happen at all. But from working together, I fell in love with her. I fell for her hard and I feel like I have to give it a shot."

"I just…I don't get it. I don't get it Joanne. We're happy. We've been together since college. You want to throw all that time away? I don't understand. I don't understand what I possibly could have done to make you want to run into the arms of some other woman. What lies did you tell her about me? Did you tell her I was abusive? That I've been sleeping around behind your back? Or that I was never around? Tell me Joanne, because I, for the life of me can't understand why you want to leave." At this point I couldn't hold my tears in any longer and the tears began to slowly fall down my face.

"No I never lied about who you were. Chrissie isn't proud of this any more than I am. And you did nothing wrong. I fell in love with Chrissie though. I just…you and I were best friends before we became more. Always remember that. You are my best friend, and I hope that one day we can get passed this, and be best friends again." She said as she pulled me into an embrace.

At that point I had lost all control of my emotions and I held on tight. "I love you, Joanne."

Joanne held on tighter and whispered in my ear. "I love you too, Arizona."

Joanne then pulled away, took my face in her hands and slowly kissed me. She then backed away grabbed her bags at the door, and walked out of the apartment. That was the last time I ever kissed her.

After that I was completely heart broken. She had been my girlfriend for so long, that I always thought that we'd be together forever. But life through Chrissie into my world and changed everything.

A month later, I was still hurting. I don't think the hurt would ever really go away but I had learned to manage and move on with my life. Joanne and I hadn't really spoken much. She tried calling me several times, and I tried ignoring the phone calls but eventually I just had to answer her. I told her that I needed space to put myself back together after what she had done. She told me she understood and that she'd wait for me to be ready to talk to her.

Finally a month later, I was moving on, and that's when I got an unexpected call from a crying Joanne on the phone.

"Joanne, is everything okay? You sound very upset." I asked her.

"Umm can you come over? I really need someone right now." She responded back to me.

"Well, where's Chrissie?" I asked. If she needed someone, why wasn't Chrissie that person?

"Please, Arizona?" She begged. Her pain was evident in her voice. Despite everything at one point in life she was my best friend. Well one of them other than Teddy.

"Okay, okay. I'll be right over." I said before hanging up the phone. I grabbed my purse, and my keys and quickly made my way out of my apartment, and drove to Chrissie's house.

When I got there, I was hesitant to ring the door bell. This was the house of the woman who stole the love of my life from me right under my nose. But Joanne needed me, for reasons I wasn't sure of yet. I built up the courage, and pressed the door bell. Joanne opened the door almost immediately and flung her arms around me tightly and in a natural instinct all I could do was hold her while she cried in my embrace. I ushered her back inside the house and into the living room. We sat side by side on the sofa in silence for a couple of minutes. Finally I couldn't take the silence any more.

"Okay, Joanne. You have to talk to me, because I have no idea why I'm here. I asked for space and now I'm here in your new lover's house comforting you because you're upset and I have no idea why."

" I called you because you're my best friend. And I needed my best friend right now."

"I asked for space…if you need someone, turn to your girlfriend." I said. I knew it was a little harsh, but at this point in my recovery from having my heart broken, I was no longer heartbroken. I was furious.

"Arizona, Chrissie left." she said to me, with tears still flowing down her face. I felt bad for Joanne but I was still mad that she left me for Chrissie. And then there was a complete other side to me that was raking in the joy at Joanne feeling what I went through with her. But still, sympathy seemed to have won me over.

"What do you mean she left?" I asked. I knew damn well what she meant, but I wanted her to say it aloud.

"I mean, she packed her things and left. She couldn't handle me being sick so she left."

I couldn't contain my laughter. "Joanne that is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. So what you have a cold? She left you because of a virus or a cold?"

"I don't have a cold, Arizona. I'm seriously sick." She said not once looking me in the eye.

"Well what could you possibly have, that would make Chrissie dump you?" I knew deep down I was being a little harsh, but at this point, Joanne was being cryptic about everything.

"Arizona, she left me because I have cancer." Was all she said to me.

I remember her saying those words to me like it was yesterday. The utterance of those words made the room so tense, you could cut the tension with a knife. I hated this woman so much for leaving me so suddenly; I hated her with almost every fiber of my being. But I still loved her. I was still very much in love with her, and this only made me hate Chrissie even more. Not only did she take the woman I loved away from me, she treated her like shit, and tossed her aside when things got hard.

"Joanne, listen to me. Forget Chrissie. Don't you worry about a thing. I'm here now and everything is going to be alright. I'll take care of you. I promise you, you're gonna be okay."

Two weeks later….

"Jo, come on! You're first chemo appointment is in half an hour! Let's go!"

Joanne came down the stairs dressed in jeans and a simple t-shirt. She put on her shoes, grabbed her purse and looked to me.

"Are you ready?" I asked her. Placing my hand on arm rubbing slowly to sooth her nerves.

"As ready as I'll ever be I guess."

So there I was, making a mistake no doubt taking care of a woman I was in love with who broke my heart. Literally ripped it from I chest and tore it to shreds. But she needed me. There was no one else.