Since I can't stand Callie and Arizona being apart here's my take on how and why Arizona returns.
CHAPTER ONE
Looking out the window, Arizona couldn't stop the feelings of dread and worry that seemed to grow stronger as the plane got closer and closer to its destination. She had been gone two months. Well actually it had been 49 days not that she was counting. Taking a deep breath the blonde looked away from the window and once again tried to reassure herself that this was going to work.
Africa had been great when she had been able to go longer than a few hours without thinking about Calliope. The entire airport scene still made her heart ache as if it had only happened moments ago. Thinking back she still couldn't believe that their relationship had reached that point. That after everything with Gray Clark and finally reaching a compromise on the baby issue, Arizona had thought nothing could ever separate them again. Until she won that grant things were going great for them. They were moving in together and picking up where they left off but this time stronger… or so she had thought.
Shifting in her sit Arizona looked down at her Mickey Mouse watch and saw that she would be landing in less than a half hour. This was going work she kept telling herself. Everything that could be taken care of was and now all she had to do was go back to Seattle and face the music. Groaning to herself, Arizona leaned her head against the seat and recounting the events that led her to this plane ride.
Once she had arrived in Africa, Arizona threw herself into her work in the hopes of numbing the pain. At first it seemed to help and every smile she got from those children helped remind her why she had come. It was amazing to save so many innocent kids daily who without her would have died from very treatable diseases. However, nothing is perfect and Arizona should have been more aware of what she was agreeing to before she accepted the grant. But it was the freaking Carter Madison Grant, who in their right mind would ever turn that down?
The problems really started after a month of being there. When all the work was done and she would crawl into bed, Arizona couldn't help but think of Calliope. It was during those moments before she would fall asleep that she realized everything she gave up to be there. The pain was overwhelming sometimes and she hated to admit that she had cried herself to sleep on more than one occasion. The only thought that calmed her down was when she allowed herself to consider the possibility of leaving and going back to Seattle. It was always a fleeting thought because deep down Arizona knew that she couldn't walk away after accepting the grant. Her father taught to her to be a man of her word and accept the consequences of her actions. So as much as she wanted to hop on the next plane she knew that she never would.
However, it was only at night that those thoughts plagued her mind. During the day she was able to keep busy but that all changed when the village she was staying at was attacked. It was a normal day at the clinic until suddenly gun shots and screaming filled the air. The local doctor standing by her had quickly thrown her to the ground and told her not to move until he came back. Moving wasn't going to be an issue since Arizona could scarcely breathe as she curled up on the floor.
The attack didn't last long and she later found out that it was just a truck passing by firing shots into the air as warning but the damage it did to her was already done. In those few moments of panic Arizona had flashed back to that day in the hospital with Gary Clark. She had frozen yet again except this time Callie wasn't here to save her. After that day those fleeting thoughts of returning to Seattle started to become more like plans. Arizona couldn't work in a state of fear. She would make mistakes or second guess herself and that could cost a tiny human their life. The risk was too great.
A few days later Arizona placed a call to the states and spoke to Chief Webber. She knew there was a chance that he had already filled her position but she needed to know. Thankfully for her position was still vacant. After quickly filling him in, she told him of her plans to come back to Seattle. Arizona figured that she could train her staff in the next few months while slowing handing over the responsibilities to the local doctor. If Webber was willing to hold her position for a few more months then she would gladly resume it by the end of April cutting her time Africa down to five months. Surprised by her change of heart but none the less thankfully he agreed to wait for her admitting that he was having terrible luck finding a replacement. Arizona's only other request was that he keep this between the two of them because she wasn't ready deal with her colleagues yet.
It was a great plan and probably would have worked but she would never know. A few weeks after that phone call Arizona was informed that her nearly limitless funding had run out. Apparently the bad economy had finally caught up to the Carter Madison bank account. Which lead to the reason that she is currently on plane headed to Seattle only days after Christmas. Arizona is drawn out of her thoughts when she feels the plane begin its descent. Taking a deep breath, she braces herself for the reality she left behind.
Once landing Arizona hails a cab and soon she sees the familiar skyline of Seattle through the rain. Since her return to the city had been sooner than expected she hadn't had time to find a new apartment so she gave the driver Callie's address. She knew that it was slightly stalkerish to just show up at their old apartment but she needed to be somewhere familiar tonight. Besides, she thought, Callie always goes home for the holidays so she would never know. Just for tonight Arizona wanted to remember the happy times she had in Seattle. Tomorrow she would face the mess she made and begin putting her life together.
All too soon she found herself looking at the familiar door of her and Callie's apartment. It seemed like forever since she had last been here and yet at the same time it felt she never left. Rummaging through her purse she is thankful that for some reason she forgot to take this key off her key ring before she left. Taking a deep breath she placed the key into the lock and smiled as she pushed the door open and flipped on the lights. The apartment looked mostly the same but Arizona immediately noticed that the walls had been painted in a light blue egg shell color. It was one of the paint swatches Arizona had suggested to Callie. She was shocked that Callie had actually used one.
Feeling suddenly exhausted she looked at the clock in the kitchen which read 3:47am, Arizona noted that maybe taking the red eye wasn't the best idea after all. Her plan had been to sleep on the plane but she had been too nervous to do anything other than fidget the whole ride. Shaking her head Arizona brought in her luggage from the hallway and closed the door.
Looking around the apartment Arizona remembers the night that she told Callie she was in love with her. Things were so much easier than, she muses to herself. Sliding off her coat she hangs it up on the hook and smiles as she sees Callie's favorite leather jacket also hanging there. Stepping closer she breathes in the familiar scent of Calliope. But before she can get lost in any memories, her world is suddenly turned upside down.
"What the hell?" Arizona freezes momentarily before slowly turning to face the one person she hadn't expected to see for at least another week. Her gaze starts at the floor as she rakes her eyes over the only women she has ever truly loved. Callie was barefoot, dressed in black pajama pants and a white tank top that showed off all of her womanly curves. Her hair was slightly messed up from sleep and she loosely held a baseball bat in her right hand clearly realizing that it was no longer needed. It was her expression that Arizona couldn't tear her eyes away from. Callie's mouth was slightly agape in surprise, her head tilted in confusion and eyes flickering between so many emotions that Arizona couldn't figure out what Callie was thinking. Completely unprepared for this confrontation, Arizona scrambled to come up with something to say. "Hi?" she weakly manages to get out.
Please review and let me know what you think.