Arizona was deep in the abdomen of a seven year old boy, so now was not the time for her to feel overwhelmed by Callie. But, she was. She had not expected to share the O.R. with her so soon, and yet, here they were.

Chocolate orbs held her gaze momentarily. Arizona had forgotten what it was like to look into those eyes. God, she had loved this woman so much. She remembered a time when she had spent hours enthralled by those eyes, determined that they were going to spend their lives together. How wrong she had been.

She shook herself out of her thoughts and returned to the patient. "His vitals are stable for now. There's a ton of damage to his intestines, so I'm working on that. I paged for Ortho because his leg needs to be set as soon as possible or-"

"-he won't walk on it again. Trust me, I know," Callie finished. "Got it. Scalpel." The brunette held out her hand, and once she was given her tool, she got to work.

Arizona was focused on her patient, as any good doctor would be. Still, whenever she could, she felt herself trying to catch glimpses of Callie.

They had always talked about being doctors in the future, and seeing it happen now was surreal. Here they were, saving a life, both of them fulfilling their dreams. Callie worked with such grace and precision, it was pure artistry. The concentration and focus the brunette had in her eyes was powerful. Arizona could see her determination to heal, and it made her heart swell the smallest bit.

During college, the two of them had spent hours pouring over Biology textbooks together, committed to learning everything they needed to go into medicine. Arizona and Callie had talked about going to med school together and doing their residencies together and just BEING together...but that obviously didn't work out. Things usually never did, in Arizona's experience.

It was practically silent in the operating room as they all individually worked on their areas of the patient. Beeps of machines and exchanges of tools were the only noises Arizona heard, and it drove her crazy. She desperately wanted to talk to Callie. Even just to make a comment like, "Look, we fucking made it! Go us!"

Dear God, she hated how things were right now.

She had made her choice. When things went wrong, she hadn't wanted to involve Callie. She had wanted to protect her love from everything horrible in the world. There were regrets, sure, and things that she could have done differently. But overall, she wouldn't change how she handled things. She did what she thought was right, even if Callie couldn't see that.

Arizona didn't have a single clue as to what she should do.

Her eyes flicked up, and they locked with Callie's. So many new things were swimming in those depths, thirteen years worth of ups and downs and triumphs and failures and love and heartbreak and a whole life. She wanted to know everything. She wanted to know Callie again. She didn't want a life without the woman in front of her, but she'd always known that. Those feelings were just stronger than ever right now.

And still...she was hurt. It felt like the world was against her. Everyone already was siding with Callie, but they didn't know the whole story. She felt like she was stuck deep within a hole, and there was no way to climb out.

She still had work, though. Maybe she would just fully invest herself into her job while she tried to figure everything else out. Work was her strength and her passion, and it could be her haven while she was faced with countless unknowns.

With a deep breath, Arizona shoved all thoughts of Callie out of her mind. Instead she became hyper aware of her actions. She thought through every stitch, an act that was almost as natural to her as breathing. She focused so intensely on her work that she quickly became submerged in it.

As she finally began her resection of the bowel, her current plan was interrupted by the frenzied beeping of the machine. The patient was coding, and she had no clue about the reason why.

"What's going on?" Callie questioned, immediately moving from the leg to the abdomen.

"I don't know! I was repairing the small intestine and this blood started coming out of nowhere. Suction!"

The intern next to her grabbed the tool and frantically started following her instructions. Callie moved across from her, and together they searched for the source of the bleeding.

Arizona's mind was running a mile a minute. She calculated everything that could possibly be happening and did everything that she could. Callie's hands perfectly mirrored hers, and the two of them worked seamlessly together. They were the ultimate partnership, and Arizona completely trusted the doctor she was working with.

"Got it!" Callie exclaimed, dipping her fingers deeper. "There's a tear on the left ventricle. I think I can repair it." A nurse handed her a tool, and she frantically worked. Arizona assisted her, giving support and efforts from her side of the table. They teamed up and mumbled instructions to one another as they worked to make this repair and stabilize their patient. Finally, as Callie tied off a stitch, the beepings on the monitor ceased.

"Thank God," Arizona exhaled.

"Fuck yeah!" Callie cheered. The two of them locked eyes, and Arizona felt a sense of accomplishment and teamwork that was an ultimate high.

She had always thought that her and Callie would work well together, and they really did.

They were both grinning to each other from behind their masks, but as soon as Arizona noticed, the moment died, and Callie's face fell. It was like the brunette was reminded that she was still angry with Arizona.

"Let's...finish up."

Callie nodded and returned to the work on the leg. For the rest of the surgery, they worked in silence, each left alone with their thoughts.

Luckily, everything else went by smoothly. The boy pulled through, and all the repairs went perfectly. He would have a lot of recovery and rehabilitation, but he would live. Saving a life was always a tremendous feeling, and Arizona held her head high as she stripped her gown, gloves, and mask.

She found herself in the scrub room, carefully washing her hands and removing all evidence of the past procedure from herself. As she cleaned under her fingernails, she was joined in the room by the person she had so many mixed feelings about.

"Good job in there, Dr. Torres ," Arizona said, her voice barely above a whisper.

Callie was silent for a moment before she answered. "You can call me 'Callie', you know."

Arizona turned the water off and began to dry her hands. "You're an excellent surgeon. I'm glad that worked out for you."

"Same goes for you."

She drummed her fingers on the sink. "Callie...I'd like to talk. To explain myself. If not to make things better, but so we can at least be civil. I don't want there to be a feud between us."

"Alex told me what he said to you. That wasn't my intention. I'm sorry for that," she stated, brown eyes flicking up to meet blue. "But...I'm not sure if I want to talk. I just," Callie took a deep breath, "I don't know where I'm at with you, Arizona. I am so angry at you and yet I want you so bad. The person I loved more than anything hurt me more than anyone else ever has, and I really don't know how to deal with that. I thought that I got over it, but having you here now...it's just brought all of those feelings back, which is more confusing than anything. I'm sorry, but I can't do this."

Arizona understood where Callie was coming from, she did. But she was angry that she offered an olive branch just to have it thrown back in her face.

"You know what, Callie, you don't know the whole story. I can take credit for my mistakes, but if you don't let me explain myself, then your misery is on you. I'm fucking trying to make things up to you, but I'm not going to play this game. It's just too hard."

She moved to storm out, but froze at the door at the sound of Callie's voice.

"What is that?" she inquired, her words small and shaky.

Arizona looked down, only to see that the left leg of her scrubs had gotten caught in her prosthetic, revealing her artificial leg to Callie. An artificial leg that she most definitely didn't have when they were together.

She roughly yanked the material down to cover her leg. "I told you, Calliope, you don't know the whole story."

Arizona exited the plane, a backpack strapped to her shoulders and a duffel in her hand. Her day of travel had been much longer than expected, as snow delays had debilitated the flight. She was exhausted, and she longed to crawl into her childhood bed and make a cocoon with her favorite blanket.

As she took the escalator down towards baggage claim, her eyes scanned the crowd for her parents. She hadn't seen them since she left for school, and she was eager to be wrapped in their arms. She was lucky enough to have incredible parents, and the next two weeks with them promised to be a practically perfect vacation.

Well, almost. After all, a piece of her heart was currently in Miami on their own Christmas vacation.

God, she longed to see Callie again. They had only been apart less than a day, as they had gone to the airport together this morning, but she felt so empty without her love by her side. She had hardly gotten to talk to her girlfriend today too, since Callie and her had both been on planes. Once she got home tonight, time differences be damned, she was going to call Callie. Getting to hear that melodious voice she was head over heels for was going to be the highlight of her night.

Her fingers fidgeted with the gold heart that hung around her neck. Callie and her had exchanged Christmas presents before they left, only to discover that they had coincidentally bought each other the exact same necklaces, just in different colors. If that wasn't proof that they were soulmates, Arizona didn't know what was. Seeing the silver pendant hanging around that gorgeous neck was one of her favorite sights. And having her own necklace made her feel like Calliope was always with her, which was the best feeling in the world.

Arizona's mind was often swimming with thoughts of the Latina beauty that was her world, today was no exception, and not much could derail her train of thought. Usually.

Blue eyes locked with identical orbs, ones that she hadn't seen in almost a year. Her brother was here.

"Timmy!" she squealed, tossing her bag to the ground so she could sprint and leap into his awaiting arms. He caught her with ease, and as soon as he locked her in his embrace, he spun her around. "I didn't think you'd be home," she whispered, her voice soft as tears welled up in her eyes. He had been deployed overseas for eleven months, and she had missed him more than she thought was physically possible.

He set her down and grinned as he wiped her tears away. "I got home last night, and I wanted to surprise you all. I convinced Mom and Dad to let me pick you up myself so we could have some time together. God, I missed you, Zona."

Her eyes scanned her brother, taking him all in. His platinum blonde hair was short and neat, and he had the faintest hint of stubble on his chin. He seemed taller and stronger since she last saw him, as if he was fully blossoming into a man. He was barely twenty-one, and yet, his eyes now held so much maturity and wisdom. Underneath all of that, the soldier before her was still her brother, and he was the same playful, mischievous, adventurous person she had known for her entire life. Seeing him join the service had been difficult, but she had fully supported him. Having him here with her now, though, made her selfishly wish that he had never enlisted. Eleven months was far too long without her brother.

Tim went and grabbed her discarded bag, which Arizona had almost completely forgotten about. He then looped his arm through hers, and began guiding her to the parking lot where his truck awaited.

"Did Mom and Dad flip out when you came home?" she asked once their started the drive to their parents' house.

"For sure. We all thought, myself included, that my unit had at least two more months out there. It's nice to be home for Christmas with you guys."

Arizona couldn't agree more. This was one of the best feelings in the world. But, she had to burst their bubble for a moment and ask the question that had slowly been creeping into her mind. "When do you have to go back?"

"January fourth." He was quiet for a moment before glanced over, noticing the disappointment that already crossed Arizona's face. Like the excellent big brother that he was, he reached across the cab of the truck to lace their fingers together. "Don't be sad, Zona. I'm here now, and that's what matters Okay?" She nodded, knowing that he was right. He usually was, not that she would ever tell him that. It would completely go to his head. "You gonna tell me about your lady anytime soon?" Tim looked towards her and gave an over-exaggerated wink. "Or am I gonna have to torture it out of ya?" He dropped her hand and pinched her side, causing her to squeal.

She was thankful for the distraction, and the opportunity to talk about much better things. "Mercy! I'll tell you!" Tim pumped his fist through the air before returning his attention to the road. "Her name is Calliope. And she's a goddess in every single way. I'm completely in love with her, and I'm going to spend the rest of my life with her."

"So confident, already?"

Arizona looked towards her big brother, her best friend. Since they had moved around so much as children, they had relied on each other entirely. He was the one person she consistently turned to, and she told him everything. It had been hell while he was overseas, as she didn't get to talk to him nearly as much as she usually did. She wanted to share everything with him. Callie had changed her life, and he needed to know.

"She's the one, Timmy. My soulmate. I know it seems crazy, and we may be young, but I don't care. She's it for me. Calliope is the only one I'm ever going to love for the rest of my life. I'm certain of that."

He grinned. "My baby sister is growing up. Good for you, Zona. I know that life hasn't always been easy. I love you for who you are and I always have, but unfortunately, the world is full of assholes that can't see how truly magnificent you are. But you deserve the world. Goddamn it, you deserve the entire fucking universe. And if Callie is the one for you then love her dude. Love her proud and love her loud and love her with everything you've got. No one can take that away from you."

Arizona's eyes welled up with tears. She was full of so much love for her brother that she could barely stand it. Their eyes locked, and they silently communicated how much they meant to each other with a single look. Tim's face bore a giant smile, and it was one of the images that Arizona would forever treasure, as it made her unbelievably happy.

They held each other's gaze for so long that they weren't paying attention to their surroundings. Arizona was the first one to notice the bright lights speeding far too close to them.

It was too late when she realized that a van was heading straight towards them, and would collide with her brother's side of the car in less than a second.

"TIM!" she shrieked, but as soon as his name left her lips, everything went black.

Thank you so much to everyone that has taken the time to read and review this story! I know that this journey is just beginning, but I am loving it so far, and I hope you all are too. This story wouldn't be here without loyal readers, so thank you for that.

Updates may be a little slow. Life is incredibly busy at the moment. I promise that I still am actively writing and committed to this story. I will post as much as I can, and will hopefully get more consistent once a few personal things are in order. Please be patient!

Thank you again for reading. Please let me know what you think!!