When Arizona walked into Emerald City that night, she expected to see the regular group of interns. DeLuca and Cross had led their year in one night at the start of their internship, and they hadn't skipped a night since as far as Arizona was concerned.
Arizona also expected to see Meredith, Alex and Jo, and Jo's clan. They had all become regulars, besides Alex and Meredith, who were tied to each other so closely that if one made a wrong move they'd be strangled. Since Derek had died, the surgeon had become a crystal clear image of her mother, and it seemed like Alex was the only one who could talk her down from total self-destruction. Jo typically moved with Alex, but lately she's gravitated back towards her own class. She hated Meredith Grey, just a bit.
But, who Arizona didn't expect to see was Amelia Shepherd, staring straightthrough at a vodka tonic. If there was one person who had been hit harder by Derek's passing than his wife, it was his sister; which is why Arizona had no choice but to run to the brunette.
"You shouldn't," Arizona stated quickly. "You shouldn't do that to yourself."
"I've done it once and I'll do it again, Arizona," stated Amelia. "He's dead. He raised me, and he's dead, and why does everyone expect for me to mourn and be over it?"
The blonde saw the other woman reach for the vodka tonic. She grabbed it quickly and downed it. She didn't even like vodka tonic, and Amelia knew that.
"There are a twenty more of those I can order behind the bar, Arizona."
"Not if I take you away from here."
"You can't just take me anywhere. I'm a grown adult. I can't be forced. I can fend for myself."
"But, the funny part is that you can't, Amy."
"Don't call me that. You know why."
"Yeah, I do," Arizona stated blankly. "We should go though, seriously. C'mon, I'll drive you home."
"I can't go home. It's terrible there."
"You can't stay here all night," the blonde argued.
"I'm willing to try my luck," the brunette responded before motioning for the bartender. Arizona laid a hand on hers.
"Don't do this. Come back to mine. You can crash in my bed, I'll go sleep in Sofia's room. You're doing so well, Amy, and drinking won't change that Derek is gone."
Arizona looked her in the eyes. "Let me take you home."
Arizona grabbed their coats and they were leaving. Amelia took her keys. "You've been drinking," she said with a smirk, before hopping into the drivers seat of the Altima.
"Yeah, I have," Arizona replied. "You know where the house is."
The car ride was uneventful, at lesst from an outside perspective. The two surgeons made small talk; Arizona had completely two procedures today to save three babies, while Amelia had spent the day clipping aneurysms. The two listened to the radio play as a crappy guitar song moved into what felt like the fourth verse. As they pulled into Arizona's driveway, neither of the two moved to get out of the car.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Arizona said in a soothing tone.
"What point is there to it?" Amelia responded, turning to her. "Nobody gets it. I wish someone did, but nobody-"
"Tim Robbins, Special Operations Combat Ranger of the United States Army. He died when I was twenty six years old. I postponed my internal internship with Hopkins. I came back six months later, swapped to a surgical residency, and pretended I was okay. Callie knows, Mark knew, and now you know."
"Arizona, I'm so-"
"Welcome to the dead brothers club. It's extremely exclusive, as only the strongest survive long enough to join. It'll hurt sometimes, especially at weddings and reunions or when somebody talks shit about him. It generally sucks, but at least you can never say you're alone."
The blonde rested her hand on her driver's thigh before quickly pulling it back and opening the door. "Come on, Amelia. I'm already low on gas."
The brunette got out of the car slowly, throwing the keys to the blonde by the door. She quickly unlocked it. "Have you eaten yet tonight?"
"Nope," Amelia blurted. She wasn't sure whether or not she had intended to, either, but the blonde had a persistent look on her face that made the decision for her.
"I'm ordering in, does Chinese sound okay?"
"Yeah, it sounds great actually," Amelia said, but the blonde had already started dialing the phone. "Egg rolls!" yelled the brunette from behind her. Arizona placed their order before turning around.
"Do you seriously think I'd forget the egg rolls, Amy?"
"You could have! I'm sorry I'm in love with them!"
Arizona chuckled and smiled, "Well, I hope they're good. I remember, we got those crappy ones during the Herman crisis and you went psych ward on me."
"Well, if I was gunna pay for them, I'd at least expect that I could bite into them!"
"Well, these are on me, so if they're rock solid, there shall be no rage, got it?"
"Got it," Amelia said, sitting at the breakfast bar across from Arizona.
"You know," Arizona started. "I'm not sure what happened to us. I mean, we had Herman and then we just faded, you know?"
"My brother died after that," the brunette replied. "We fell apart. Everything fell apart, though. Don't be offended."
"It's almost like we're back to the good old days. I mean, besides my only friend's life on the line."
"I'm offended! Karev's offended! Sofia is offended!"
"Hey, we haven't spoken in ages, and Karev is friends with Mer, who's friends with Callie, and Cristina, and George and-"
"Fine, I'll be offended alone," Amelia laughed out. "Although, it's not like I have much of an option. You're kind of all I've got."
"Hey, you've got the entire dead brothers club."
"Which adds?"
"Tim and Derek," Arizona responded, with tears in her eyes.
"Tim and Derek."
"That's practically an army," Arizona laughed out, sitting next to her and placing a glass of water to her left.
The food came, and it wasn't too much later that the two women foumd themselves curled together under a blanket. Amelia had insisted that the blonde was her favorite pillow before falling asleep in her lap, while Arizona tried her best not to move her when she reached for the remote. She missed this- she couldn't let it end too soon.
Arizona and Amelia would always be just that close, which helped drive the blonde insane a bit. The brunette had sat and watched while she broke down every detail to Herman, and Callie, and her daughter, and how things would be so, so different. They could get close, but never too close, and it drove the blonde crazy.
She woke Amelia when the cable had been run dry. "Go to bed, babe. Do you have to work tomorrow?"
"Nope," Amy replied through a yawn
"Sounds good to me," Arizona smiled. "I'll let you sleep in then."
"Listen, Zona, you're warm. Bring me upstairs, lemme take my clothes off, and hold me. Please? Dead brother privileges."
And with those words, Arizona led her upstairs.