A/N: The response to the last chapter was simply amazing, the amount of new followers and favourites was awesome! This story doesn't really have much left in it – it only started as a one shot and so I only see it having a couple-few more chapters, but we'll see what happens!

Thanks to heather for beta-ing and holding my hand through Greys :D

Tim turned, a smile on his face and tears welling in his eyes at the sight of his parents, 'Mom, Dad, it's me...I'm here...I'm real...'

Silence descended on the room, even Sofia stopping as she reached her Grandparents.

'It can't be...' Daniel said, his voice unusually quiet.

'Tim?'

Tim nodded, his voice cracking as he spoke, 'Yeah.'

'I don't understand... how?' Daniel asked, both him and Barbara still not moving.

'It's a long story,' Tim said with a small smile, unsure of whether he should go forwards or not, seeing Arizona again had been so much easier than this.

Sofia, confused by what was going on, decided to head for the safety of her Momma's arms, climbing in Arizona's lap and resting her head against her chest. Arizona smiled, kissing the top of her head before returning her focus back on the scene unfolding in front of her. 'Touch him Mom...that helped me...feel that he's real.'

'I can't...' Barbara whispered, her brain still catching up with what her eyes were seeing.

'Mom please...' Tim said, moving forwards slightly.

'How are you alive?' Daniel's voice sounded, moving so that he was in between his wife and Tim, somehow subconsciously needing to protect her from this situation. 'You need to tell me how you are standing there in front of us...how you could have let us think you were dead for all this time...how you could live with yourself and do that to your family...'

'Maybe I should take Sof?' Callie suggested.

Arizona nodded, 'She doesn't need to see this.'

'I'll just take her into our room, give me a shout if you need anything, ok?'

'Thank you,' Arizona replied, kissing both her daughter and her wife before they headed to the bedroom, Callie closing the door behind them.

'T, why don't you come and sit down? Tell Mom and Dad what you told me?' Arizona suggested.

'You knew about this?' Barbara asked, turning to face her daughter. 'That's why we're here? Not because you wanted to see us? But because you wanted...this to all come out?'

'No Mom,' Arizona replied. 'I didn't plan any of this, what would have rather? Me tell you this over the phone?'

'Well, some warning would've been nice!' Barbara replied.

'Me and Callie just tried to tell you!' Arizona said, 'Can you honestly say that you would've believe us anyway without seeing Tim for yourselves?'

'Well how do we know this is Tim? Where's the proof? Have you done a DNA test?'

'Mom!' Arizona replied, shocked at her Mom's reaction, particularly when she saw Tim's face. 'You can see its T! He's your son for God's sake!'

Barbara just stared, the disbelief and uncertainty evident in her face.

'I'm your son Mom,' Tim said, his voice cracking on each word. 'When I was seven I fell of the monkey bars and broke my arm, I only stopped crying when they told me I could have a blue cast; when I was eleven I broke the garage door trying to do some stupid trick on my skateboard but Arizona covered for me and said it was a stray dog; when I was fifteen you caught me sneaking back in the house after I'd spent the night serenading Susie Parker at her window; when I was sixteen I was the first person kid told that she was gay and I encouraged her to tell you because I knew that you both would be ok with it...'

'It's you?' Barbara asked, how could a stranger know those things?

'It's me,' Tim said softly, approaching his Mom tentatively, not wanting to push things too far too soon.

Barbara stood, slightly shaking as she stepped forwards, instantly falling into the arms of her son. She hugged him tightly, feeling like if she let go, it would all be a dream and he'd be gone again. 'Oh Tim...my Timmy...'

Arizona looked on with a smile and tears slowly falling down her face; she had never been able to imagine this moment, never had the hope that her brother would defy death and come back to them. Turning she looked towards her Dad who still remained where he was, pushing herself off of the sofa, Arizona moved towards him, 'Dad?'

'Don't,' Daniel said. 'Don't...'

Arizona looked cautiously at her Father, 'Dad, you know the military...you know what can happen...'

'Do not try and tell me what I do and do not know,' Daniel replied, his voice strong and his eyes like steel. 'I have no doubt who this is...but you can't tell me it took you three years, three, for you to even get word out.'

Tim and Barbara had now released each other, now stood with Arizona. 'I was held as a prisoner of war,' Tim said. 'They didn't exactly offer me a phone call...'

'Don't get smart with me,' Daniel said. Him and Tim and always butted heads, now was apparently no different.

Tim rolled his eyes, 'If you let me explain, then maybe you'll understand.'

'Understand?!' Daniel roared, 'How could I begin to understand? I've been to hell and back in the marines, and I'm just trying to imagine a situation where I would've just given up!'

'You think I gave up?!' Tim shouted back. 'You think I gave up when they were torturing me for information? When I could hear the screams of the other prisoners as they cried for their Mommy's just before they died? I was the only one out of fifteen prisoners to survive...I didn't do that giving up.'

'And how long have you been released?' Daniel asked.

Tim sighed, 'Seven months.'

'Seven months?!' Daniel repeated, his voice rising one more. 'A phone call wouldn't have gone amiss surely?!'

'I couldn't!' Tim responded, 'Not at first, I was held in quarantine pretty much, whilst they got all the information they could from me about what I'd seen, who I'd been with. When I went to phone home...I...'

'He heard about the plane crash,' Arizona finished for him, knowing that Tim was trying to protect her. 'T heard about what happened to me and knew that him coming back at that point would probably have been too much.'

'You could've told us! Your mother...'

'What and just asked you to keep it a secret from kid?' Tim said, his anger rising slightly. 'No, instead I got myself together, got myself looking less like a wreck and more like myself...then I came here.'

'And you don't think that this has hurt your sister more?' Daniel still continued.

'No! I saw Callie first,' Tim explained. 'I couldn't just waltz in, so I got to see Callie, to see if kid was ok...'

'To see if I was strong enough,' Arizona added, offering a small smile to her brother to show that it was ok. 'Dad, he put his recovery on hold for me...to protect me.'

'Your recovery?' Barbara asked now.

'His shoulder,' Arizona explained. 'It's still busted...the military referred him to Callie months ago but he couldn't come when he knew who Callie was...he put his rehab on hold until he knew that I was ok.'

Daniel scoffed, 'And have you ruined it now? Your shoulder?'

Tim rolled his eyes, 'It'll never be the same again, but that would be the same even if I had come straight away. But Callie says that she can help me.'

'She's not the best for nothing,' Arizona added in support of her wife. 'Dad can you please just get in your head that Tim's done nothing but try and protect us all...me especially. He's alive! The son you thought you lost is alive! If the last few months have taught me anything, between plane crashes, losing the father of my child and losing my leg, it's that life is too short. So, just stop being so stubborn and hear him out.'

Hearing Arizona mention the plane crash and her injury in such a frank way finally broke through Daniel's walls; his face softening.

'It's him?' Daniel's voice sounded, although it was softer than Arizona had ever heard it before.

'It is,' Arizona replied reaching out and giving his hand a squeeze. 'I know you feel like you need an explanation, and he'll give you one, but for now just enjoy the moment; enjoy the fact that your son is alive.'

Daniel nodded, moving forwards and embracing Tim in a fierce hug, Tim barely registering the pain that that cause his shoulder.

'I'm just going to check on Sof,' Arizona said, although she wasn't sure anyone heard her. Pushing open the door of the bedroom, Arizona smiled when she found Callie on the bed with Sof reading to her as little brown eyes fought to stay open.

Looking up Callie smiled when she saw Arizona had joined them, 'Everything ok?'

Arizona nodded, 'I just thought I'd give them a minute.' Shutting the door, Arizona moved to the other side of the bed, sitting down and swinging her legs around so that she was resting against the headboard like Callie. 'You two ok?'

'We're good, although I think Sof is almost gone...' Callie said as Sofia turned and snuggled into Arizona's side, her eyes now closed. Smiling, Callie closed the book she had been reading and put it to one side. Shifting closer, Callie resting one hand on top of Arizona's and looped the other around her shoulders, 'How about you, are you ok? I heard raised voiced?'

Arizona nodded, leaning her head to one side and resting it on Callie's shoulder, 'It's fine, my Dad was just being...well my Dad, I gave him a talking to and sorted him out...'

Callie chuckled, 'One of the Arizona Robbins specials?'

Arizona nodded, 'You know that they work wonders.'

Callie smiled, 'But you didn't answer my question, are you ok?'

'I'm good...I've missed this...me, you and Sofia...just you know...being together...' Arizona replied, snuggling her girls closer.

Callie smiled, 'We've missed it too.'

'I'm sorry that it's been like that...I'm sorry that my behaviour made you miss things.'

'Shhhh,' Callie said, kissing the top of Arizona's head. 'What did I say about saying sorry all the time?'

'I know,' Arizona said, shifting herself and Sof slightly closer to Callie. 'But I have a lot to be sorry for Callie, a lot that I need to make up for.'

Callie shook her head, 'You don't, Sof and me are just glad that you're ok and that you're...feeling better.'

Arizona smiled, 'I'm glad I'm feeling better too, and it's all thanks to you two. I don't know what I'd do without you Calliope.'

'Well it's a good job you'll never have to find out then,' Callie replied easily, tilting her head back and reaching down for a kiss.

Arizona smiled, snuggling into Callie even further, Sofia safely between them, 'This is what kept me fighting out there...moments like this with you two. I just couldn't bear the thought of not ever experiencing them ever again, of not watching Sofia grow up or not having another baby with you...the thought of missing out on you and our life together...that brought me home.'

Callie listened quietly, Arizona hadn't spoken much about anything remotely to do with the crash, aside from her leg, so hearing her finally open up, even in the slightest, was a big thing for the both of them. Not only that, but hearing Arizona say that she had been thinking about them expanding their family was something new and brilliant for Callie to hear. They had never talked about it between them, but Arizona obviously held it in her mind and her future plans. 'You've been so strong through this Zo, I know you don't think you have, but two of you died on that plane...and with your injuries, you were nearly added to them...and the only reason you weren't was because you held on and fought.'

'I saw your face,' Arizona said, confusing Callie slightly. 'When I was drifting in and out of consciousness, I saw your face...sometimes happy, laughing...on our wedding day...when you held Sof for the first time...then I remember seeing you sad, and I couldn't work out why...I couldn't remember what had made you so upset...then I realised, I was seeing you getting told that I hadn't made it. I couldn't let you go through that pain Callie, I couldn't be the cause of that face that I saw...'

Callie didn't try to hide the tears that were silently rolling down her cheeks, the frankness and openness of their conversation something new for the both of them post-plane crash. 'I thought you were d-...gone...when the initial call came through that they had found you, they just said that there had been one fatality, one female fatality...I thought it was you. Bailey and Webber volunteered to go to Boise and bring you back, I wanted to go...I mean I screamed and shouted...but Owen wouldn't let me...at that stage we still didn't know who the fatality was nor how badly the rest of you were injured...he knew that I didn't need to see that. I sat by the phone in your office waiting for the call to come through from Bailey...she'd promised to ring me as soon as she knew how you were...when she did and she said you were alive...I've never felt so much relief before...she said you were injured pretty bad, but that you were stable...I wish now I had put up more of a fight and gone with them...maybe then I could've saved your...'

'No,' Arizona interrupted. 'You wouldn't have, you know that Calliope. It was the infection that took my leg...and nearly my life...if you hadn't done what you did, then I wouldn't be here today. They wanted to take it in Boise...my leg I mean...I could hear the surgeon and Owen talking, I knew what she was hinting at to him...so I told them no, I said that they weren't allowed to touch me until you saw the x-rays...It was so stupid of me really, waiting that extra time could've cost me my life.'

'I thought I'd be able to save it,' Callie said, hoping her confessions wouldn't drive Arizona away. 'I always made myself out to be some ortho God...the best of the best...I thought I'd at least be able to save my own wife's leg...I mean the plan I came up with was bullshit...Owen was stood there telling me that if we did that then you would have stuck in years of rehab, that a prosthetic would give you more movement...but I just...I ignored him, I still thought my way was best...and in doing that...God Arizona, I nearly killed you.'

'Hey, hey,' Arizona said, cupping Callie's cheek and swiping away the tears with her thumb. Seeing her wife like this, hearing the emotion in her voice as they finally spoke about what happened broke Arizona's heart. 'Calliope, please, look at me.' Callie blinked heavily, when she opened her eyes, they were locked on Arizona's. 'You saved me. Okay? I made you make a promise that we both knew you couldn't keep and it's on me the way I've acted since, totally me. Not you, okay? You saved my life Calliope, in more ways than one, and for that I will never be able to love you any more for.'

Before Callie could reply, there was a knock at the door, Callie hastily wiping away the tears from her face as Sofia stirred between them. 'Yeah?'

The door opened slightly, Tim poking his head around, catching sight of both of their faces he furrowed his brow, 'You guys ok?'

Both Callie and Arizona nodded, 'We're good T,' Arizona said.

'Umm cool, cause we're all good out here too, Mom and Dad want to go and check into their hotel but thought we could all go out for dinner or something in a bit? Early enough so that Sof can come too after her nap?'

'Sounds good,' Callie said, looking at Arizona who nodded in agreement.

'Will you do us a favour T?' Arizona asked, continuing when Tim nodded. 'Will you just put Sof down for us, tell Dad he can take the car and we'll get a cab to the hotel at about 5?'

'Sure thing,' Tim replied, coming into the room and taking a sleepy Sofia out of Arizona's hands. 'You want me to go with Mom and Dad or stay here?'

'It's up to you,' Arizona said. 'Go with them if you like?'

Tim nodded, obviously eager to spend some more time with his parents, 'Ok, see you guys at the hotel then?'

'Thanks T,' Arizona replied, watching as Tim carried Sof out of the room.

'We could have paused this if you wanted to go and spend some time with them?' Callie said, moving to close the gap between them where Sofia had been.

Arizona shook her head, her too moving closer to her wife, 'As much as it's amazing that my brother's alive, and I love my parents; you're the most important person to me Calliope. Talking and sorting this out means more to me...we'll see my parents and T in a bit anyway. Besides, I'm afraid that if I stop...I won't be able to start again...does that make sense?'

Callie nodded, 'I agree...honestly, I'm scared I'm going to push this, push you, too far.'

Arizona shook her head again, 'I know you're scared, and I know that's my fault, but I can't keep hiding behind my leg or my anger anymore, I need you to be honest with me Calliope, even if you think it will hurt me or make me angry.'

Callie nodded, knowing a question that she had been burning to ask, 'Do you...no wait...did you ever hate me?'

'What?' Arizona asked.

'I know you don't now, but did you, when you woke up and you didn't have a leg...or since then? Did you hate me?'

Arizona shook her head, 'No.'

'Arizona, it's ok, be honest,' Callie said.

'I didn't,' Arizona replied, biting her lip before she continued. 'I mean...I wanted to...I wanted to hate you for the leg, but I knew that it wasn't your fault. I was angry at you, yes. But did I ever hate you? No. No matter what Calliope, I could never hate you.'

Callie met Arizona's eyes, looking for any sign of lie, when she found none she smiled, 'Okay.'

'Did you?'

'Did I what?'

'Did you hate me?' Arizona asked, scared of what the answer would be.

'Of course not Zo,' Callie replied.

'Even after all I said...all that I did...or more didn't do?' Arizona pressed.

'No, you frustrated the hell out of me but I never hated you Arizona...it just broke my heart seeing you like that; so broken, not just physically but emotionally.' Callie sighed, twirling a blonde lock between her fingers. 'I hated that there was nothing I could really do about it apart from wait...but I never hated you.'

Arizona nodded, understanding what Callie was saying, glad that there had been no unspoken hatred between either of them. 'I didn't want to shut you out like I did...I think I was scared you know? Like, scared that if you saw how pathetic and weak I was then you'd leave.'

'You think that much of me huh?'

Arizona's eyes jumped to Callie's, 'I didn't mean it like that Calliope...I wouldn't have blamed you, if you'd have left I mean, I didn't do anything to deserve you to stay.'

'Would you have stayed?' Callie asked, 'If I had been the one on the plane, if I'd lost my leg...would you have stayed?'

Arizona nodded, 'Of course.'

'Exactly,' Callie replied. 'When we got married, our vows said for better or for worse, this is the worse.'

Arizona gave a small smile, playing with the wedding band on Callie's finger, 'It was the best day of my life you know? Getting married and being able to call you my wife...I mean Sof being born was kind of the worst and the best...but our wedding day was something else.'

Callie smiled widely at Arizona's admission, 'I couldn't agree more...I was absolutely petrified about the whole thing...I mean the road towards it wasn't exactly an easy one...but I remember, I was about to turn the corner with Mark and I was panicking that I was going to fall over or do something wrong, and then we turned the corner and I saw you...looking so amazing...and I realised that I wasn't going to trip or fall, because you would always be there to catch me.'

'I will,' Arizona said, choking on her own emotion. 'I know I haven't been much good at it lately...I'm sorry I wasn't there for you when M-m...' Arizona sighed, 'When Mark died.'

Callie's eyes shot to meet Arizona's once more, they hadn't talked about Mark since he'd passed; both of them dancing around the subject whenever it could've potentially been brought up.

'I tried to get him to fight with me...but honestly I think, he watched Lexie die and in doing that, he lost a piece of himself.' Arizona said, revealing slightly more about what had happened out in the woods. 'I remember...and tell me if this is too much?' Callie nodded. 'On the first night out there, I was sat...and Mark was laid down, his head resting on my lap...he was saying that he could just close his eyes and be with Lexie again...I was so mad...like so mad...I told him that he couldn't...that you and Sof were waiting for him...that I was waiting for him...and he promised me then; he said he'd fight...and he did.'

Callie was at a loss of what to say, overcome by a mixture of Arizona finally talking and hearing about Mark.

'I wish I got chance to say goodbye to him,' Arizona said softly. 'If I had got my stubborn head out of my ass, then maybe I could've.'

'He was peaceful,' Callie said finally. 'Derek and me sat with him until he went...'

'And then you came home to me,' Arizona said, remembering that day clearly. Callie had come into her room, asking her, begging her to snap out of it, for her sake, for Sofia's sake. 'I know I'll never be able to take back some of the things I said Cal...God how I wish I could...and I know you might not believe it, but when I said those things...it wasn't me...it was like I couldn't stop myself from saying them, like I couldn't get myself to shut the hell up...' Arizona hung her head, 'I'm so ashamed of the things I've said Calliope...'

Callie instantly reached out, pulling Arizona close as she broke; the trickle of tears becoming a cascade, 'Shhhh.' Callie held Arizona tight, calming and soothing her until the tears ran out.

'Sorry,' Arizona finally mumbled into Callie's chest.

'I swear Arizona, if you say sorry one more time...' Callie said, a smile in her voice. 'Thank you.'

'What on Earth for?' Arizona asked.

'For opening up to me,' Callie said. 'I can't even imagine how difficult that is.'

Arizona sighed, 'Honestly, I feel like a weight's been lifted in talking about it...I thought it would be the opposite, that it would make me revisit too many bad feelings...I'm glad I was wrong.'

Callie smiled, 'You look exhausted...how about you fit in a quick nap too?'

Arizona met Callie's smile, 'Will you stay too?'

'Of course,' Callie replied instantly, reaching behind her she made sure the baby monitor was switched on before turning back. Lifting the comforter over them, she snuggled into the back of Arizona, kissing her neck softly, 'I love you Arizona.'

'I love you too Calliope,' Arizona replied. 'Thank you for standing by me, even when I gave you every reason not to.'

'I'll always stand by you,' Callie replied. 'Always.'