AN: This fic took a turn I wasn't expecting. Rest assure everything will be fine eventually but this is a heavy chapter.


We're at that stage of forgiveness where everything goes back to normal. Back to doughnuts and Doritos on the sofa, back to drinking way to much wine and waking up with your underwear on backwards, back to bed sheets that smell of lilacs and passion fruit, back to blue skies. Arizona stays over most nights which is the only change from our pre-cheating relationship. I can't say that I object to the frequency of her visits, especially since Cristina is out most of the time. Tonight Arizona is sick and I'm playing care-giver it's actually a lot more fun than I thought it would be. Watching her hair toss about as she tries to prevent the medicine spoon from going in her mouth and the way her nose wrinkles when she sniffles makes me feel warm inside because I'm needed by someone.

"You have to take the medicine or you won't get better"

"But it's yuckie and I don't want to."

She kicks her feet out from under the covers and tries to keep from hurling as she heads for the bathroom. I don't know why she even bothers trying to get up, this is her third attempt but it ends the same as the last two attempts: she gets about three good steps in before getting overwhelmed by a feeling of dizziness and rushing back under the covers.

"Oooh, WHY do children have to be so full of germs?" Arizona asks as if pleading to god.

"Hey, you are a kick-ass peds surgeon; you can handle a few germs. Now open the hanger this plane's coming in for a landing." I say the last part a little too sing-song while I whirl the spoon around as if it were a plane. Arizona responds by giving me an incredulous look.

"Ok well how about no sex until you get better? You gonna take this stuff now?"

Arizona grabs the spoon from me and swallows a mouth-full of purple syrupy goodness then opens her mouth exposing her tongue to show me it's all gone.

"Are you always like this when you're sick?"

"Oh shut up you love it."

"You're right, I do" I agree giving her a chaste kiss on the lips.

"Can we have sex now?" she asks as if she's earned some reward.

"No, we cannot have sex yet because whatever you got I don't want it."

She starts huffing again in classic petulance, then her face perks up as if she's been hit with a bolt of genius.

"What if we just skip right to the good part, no kissing, no face to face contact, just…" she sneezes

"Oh no, you are not sneezing on my nether regions"

Arizona was sitting cross legged now probably trying to figure out a way to get some form of sex out of me. I motion for her to lie down next to me and she complies. I kiss the skin around the nape of her neck; it's so soft and tender that I could live off of the feeling from just this one spot. We stay like that wrapped up in each other until she starts to doze off. That's when I make my move, I sneak under the covers and find my way to her center.

"Ugh, Calliope what are you doing." She asks, her voice a little groggy.

"Taking your shorts off" comes my matter-of-fact reply. "I never said I couldn't do anything."

I'm not even two minutes in before Arizona shouts out a sudden "Oh my GOD!"

"Ok, well that was kinda quick, you wanna try again?" I ask a little disappointed.

"Oh no, no I'm good."

I pull my head up from the covers to see what's got my girlfriend so up in arms and almost pass out at the sight. Mark Sloan is standing right in front of the threshold to my bedroom wearing an outfit that has been completely drenched in what smells like beer. He's got this look on his face that tells me he's been standing there enjoying the show for a while.

"Mark what the hell?" I demand giving him my best pissed off face.

"Torres we need to talk." He doesn't even try to explain what he's doing here or how he got in which is Arizona's biggest concern.

"How did you get in?" She implores, but Mark ignores her.

"Lexie dowsed me in beer and threatened to light me on fire."

"What? You're kidding right? She's Lexie, Lexie wouldn't do that. She'd make a scrap book of pictures with your head cut off, but she wouldn't light you on fire."

Mark storms over to the living area clearly expecting me to follow behind while Arizona looks on in wonder.

"Wait, how exactly did you get in Mark?" she tries again, still no response.

Mark is pacing frantically in the living-room totally unsure of what to do. His brow is furrowed and his chest is pounding and for a second I'm glad Arizona is too sick to leave the bedroom because I kinda like what I see.

"Ok Mark, slow down tell me what happened."

He pauses to think before he tells me what happened. I'm sure he's doing some mental editing.

"We were eating dinner and she freaked out on me. She thinks I'm just filling my time with her until I find someone better."

"So fast-forward to the part where you get called a nasty man-whore and she starts tossing alcohol"

"She did not call me a nasty man-whore." He insists. I give him a look of disbelief that he shakes off without a second thought.

"The point is I went in for a hug and down came the beer."

"Why do I feel like I'm not getting the full effect of this story?"

"Because you're not!" Lexie booms as she storms in to the room.

For the life of me I can't figure out how my apartment turned in to ground zero for people with relationship problems, but the fact still remains that Lexie and Mark are actually in my place hashing it out as if nothing at all is wrong with that.

"You start talking about her during sex and then you come over here to get her advice about it, Oh that's just brilliant!"

"You were talking about me during sex? Mark, that is so not good."

"I made one little comment."

"Which was what?" Arizona demands between sniffles as she walks up from behind me.

Now all three of us are staring in Mark's direction either looking at him in disbelief or disgust. I grab hold of Arizona half to reassure her, but also to keep her steady cause she looks woozy.

"Callie I really thought you'd have my side on this."

"I don't even know what your side is Mark"

Lexie starts crying in one of those pouty little girl ways that makes me wanna hurl.

"I made a comparison, it was supposed to be a compliment"

"Was it the toe thing, cause you were so right about that." Arizona chimes in coughing as she gets her words out.

"What's wrong with your girlfriend?" Mark asks in a state of oblivion

"She's sick you ass." Lexie and I both retort.

"So I may have mentioned that Torres isn't as flexible."

"He said you bite more than you bend." Lexie corrects.

I take a minute to ponder what that could possibly mean but give up after it dawns on me that we are talking to Mark Sloan. I run my hand through Arizona's blonde curls give her a peck on the forehead. I can tell from the kiss her temperature has skyrocketed and my only thought is to get them out of my apartment so Arizona can get some sleep. But, they are insistent on staying until this whole matter is resolved. Arizona's got a hand snaked around my hip and she brushes it up and down massaging my side. Lexie looks on admiring the affection, but then quickly changes her expression.

"Dr. Torres. I mean I should call you that right? Instead of Callie? Unless we were having a friendly conversation which I don't think this is. So like I said Dr. Torres I think Mark is in love with you"

"What?" We all shout in unison letting her words float in the air. Arizona starts to cry softly, but she buries her head in my shoulder so that no one else can tell. I hear thunder outside and I'm not surprised; blue skies can only last so long in this place. I continue running my fingers through Arizona's blonde curls as we all wait for Mark to respond to the sudden accusation. But he didn't respond he just stood there looking pathetic, trying to figure out a way to get out of the whole he dug for himself. Finally he musters up the courage to speak.

"Lex, how could you say that? I love you; I'm in love with you. Hell I even asked you to move in with me."

Lexie looks at him coldly clearly that wasn't the response she was hoping for.

"What? You don't believe me?" Mark asks concerned.

"No, I do. It's just that I never said you didn't love me."

We all wait again for Mark to deny it, but he doesn't he just stands there with his hands on his head. Arizona lifts her head and clears her throat to speak. I try to tell her it's not necessary but she insists and she's a bit of a stubborn woman.

"You two…" A fit of sneezing follows before she can finish her statement.

"You two cannot …be friends anymore" she finishes with a head ratteling sneeze that scares me a little bit.

"Should she get back to bed?" Lexie asks with genuine concern.

"Yeah, um you two should probably go talk this out across the hall." I suggest.

Lexie and Mark leave and I drag Arizona off to the bedroom making sure she is as comfy as possible. She falls asleep with her arms wrapped around me, but I can't sleep because I can't shut my mind off. A few hours later she groans in her sleep.

"Callie are you still awake?" She asks with sleep in her voice.

"Yep."

"Do you know how Mark got in here?" She asks still half asleep.

"I don't have a clue." I admit.

"Callie, get some sleep ok. I'm not mad about anything." All I can do is lie there thinking…


Please Review. A big thank you to those who are reading. I really enjoy your comments. Did I shock you? was it too over the top? Do you wish Arizona would've used some air-born?