A/N: I would have loved to add more but it was kinda hard to write this in one day (a few hours really) and get it posted before premiere day. I want to thank everyone who reviewed and everyone who encouraged me as well as ecstacythrumusic for beta'ingand my girlfriend for putting up with my brainstorming.

I hope you guys enjoy the ending.


"... I'm lost without you. I feel like I am going crazy every second of the day. I can't sleep because I keep having nightmares about the goddamn crash and my leg, it just keeps getting worse. The only thing that ever held me together was you, Calliope. Don't you see that? It was you. I can't lose you... I can't lose you because if I do... I'm afraid... I'm afraid I won't make it."

I felt like my heart was shattering as those words poured from Arizona's mouth. I had no idea that she was going through so much pain, that she was so lost and defeated. I knew things were hard but I'd just assumed that she was experiencing the exact same agony that I experienced every time I set foot in our empty apartment, or thought back to the night of the storm.

I didn't know that it had gotten this bad...

"I- I want you to come back home, Arizona."

A shaky voice fills the small space and I am shocked to realize that this time it is my own. My brain had failed to keep up with the movement of my mouth, allowing a pent up confession to escape full lips. Blue eyes look up at me in disbelief and I can tell that they are searching for signs of uncertainty, waiting for me to reveal that this was all a cruel joke, a brief lapse in usually sound judgement.

My hand continues to rub soothing circles along the small of her back and I maintain eye contact, waiting for a response... some sort of reaction or acknowledgement... anything...

I feel her seemingly frail body begin to tremble uncontrollably in my arms and the warmth of tears against my skin as she buries her face into the crook of my neck, exhaling loudly. I notice the tightness in her muscles beginning to dissipate as if my request had magically lifted a crushing weight from slender shoulders.

"Thank you, Calliope. Thank you so much," her words are muffled.

I cringe slightly at her gratitude, finding it weird to hear my own wife thanking me for wanting her back in our home. I'd rather her promise that she will be open with me from now on. I want to hear her tell me all of things she is struggling with so that we can overcome them together, to know that she is okay... that we will eventually be okay.

"Arizona, look at me."

She lifts her face from my neck and I am met with reddened eyes.

"I don't want you to thank me. I want you to promise me that we will do this together, that we will mend our relationship together. I'm not saying it is going to be easy, but I am saying that I am willing to try. I am willing to rebuild my trust in you as long as you are willing to be open with me and trust me in return."

"I am, Calliope. I promise."

"And... I've been thinking that... maybe we should consider professional help."

I feel her tense up again.

Arizona has never been one to look to strangers for help. Honestly, it took her awhile to even trust me enough to come to me when she was having any issues at the beginning of our relationship. She has been independent since taking her first steps, one who always wants to try and figure things out alone before thinking about reaching out to others for assistance.

But I just don't see any other way at this point...

I can almost hear the wheels turning in her head, I see her defined jaw tensing slightly.

"Do you genuinely believe that would be best?"

"I...I don't know. But, whatever we've done in the past hasn't worked. We both have our own faults that make working through tough situations almost impossible, Arizona. Sometimes I push too much and sometimes you hold too many things in. I just think it would be in our best interest if we had someone there to moderate, someone with training. I mean, it's not just my decision. I wanted to put it out there though. Ya know and if you don't like it we can always try another angle... we can do like a trial run or...or-"

"Callie. Stop." Arizona grabs my hand and squeezes it lightly, "we will do counseling. You don't have to try and convince me, Calliope. I will do whatever it takes to prove to you that I am serious about our life, our marriage."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah..."

The look on her face is something I haven't seen in awhile. I feel her lean in towards me and notice when her eyes flick to my lips for a split second. As she inches closer, I am tempted to close my eyes but just before our lips meet, I turn away...

"Oh... I uh- I actually brought some food from the deli across the street. You should probably eat. It'll help you regain some of your strength." I try to hide the nervousness in my voice.

She nods in response to my suggestion, a deep sigh indicating her disappointment as she slowly pulls herself from our embrace. My hands graze over her sides as we untangle ourselves and for the first time I notice exactly how small she has become. Arizona has never been a large woman by any means, but her obsession with powdered donuts and Oreos had always kept her at a pretty healthy weight.

"When's the last time you ate something, Arizona...?"

"Uh, I don't know," she refuses to meet my eyes, her voice lowering to a whisper, "S-Saturday... maybe."

Today is Tuesday. Her admission makes me nauseous, but I decide that I shouldn't press any further. I unwrap her sandwich before placing it in her lap, standing from the bed and taking a seat in the desk chair that Karev had moved next to the bed earlier.

Arizona takes a tentative first bite.

"This is good," I smile widely as she struggles to talk with her mouth full, "...just so you know... it's because I couldn't keep anything down. It's not like I didn't try to eat."

She must have sensed my concern.

"I know, Arizona."

I grab my own food and begin eating. I try to think of a way that I can take our thoughts away from our 'almost kiss'. It's not like I didn't want to, but I just don't think we should rush into things. We just decided to try to work everything out and I figure that it would only be detrimental if we immediately jumped back into intimacy. Intimacy requires trust and we have so much to talk through before we reach that point. Lauren, the crash, my encounter with Jenna, the pain in Arizona's leg, her drinking... the list goes on.

"Ya know, Sofia will be happy to know that you're coming back. Things haven't been the same for her since you left. Apparently I'm not a good enough story teller..."

Arizona smiles at the mention of our daughter, "I guess I'll have to make it up to her then, huh?"

"Yup." I look at my watch, "but you can start by coming with me to pick her up from daycare. I can already imagine the look on her face when we both show up to take her home."

"I can't wait."

We quickly finished our lunch and I began gathering our things as Arizona fastened her prosthetic. Today, we would be going home together. It felt good to say 'home' again and be referring to the place that we would both be returning to.

And I know that there will be many nights to come when the conversations aren't as easy, when all I will want to do is yell, scream, and cry. There will be nights when I flash back to the night of the storm, or when Arizona will shut me out again and hide her true feelings.

I know all of this, and despite that, I still want to try and fix us.

Some may look at me and say that they would have handled things differently, they may say that I let her back in too easily or that I didn't make her pay for what she had done. But what they don't realize is that any pain I inflict on her, will only come back to hurt me. Arizona and I may be individuals but at the end of the day, we are one... united by a promise.

She is so ingrained in my mind, body, and spirit that it is impossible to imagine myself living in her absence.

I know from experience when it is better for me to cut my losses. I know that sometimes it is not even worth the effort to try and mend a seemingly broken relationship.

But that isn't the case with us.

So as I look back at all those nights when I tossed and turned, constantly asking myself over and over...

'how do I let go?'

I realize that the answer was right in front of my face the entire time...

I can't.


A/N II: Is it over? Yes that was the plan. But if there is interest in me flashing forward to them working things out...I will do it. I just didn't think anyone would be interested once the show actually started. What I write is up to y'all. Thanks again.