Bonus Update!


Arizona was in love with Callie and she was miserable about it.

The never-ending "shortest engagement on record" had been extended once again. Now that Mrs. Torres had given a party to introduce her to the family members, she was ready to do the same with friends and business associates.

"My mother likes you," Callie told her in explanation.

"Are you sure?" Arizona joked. "How can you tell?"

Mrs. Torres had been kind, in her way. And it was getting easier every time to say yes to things that kept the engagement going — and harder to think of stopping this crazy merry-go-round they'd jumped aboard.

Still, it had to end. And at the same time, Arizona was facing an unhappy truth. The engagement might end, but the way she felt about Callie wouldn't. The way she felt about Callie was so overwhelming, it ate up her day, muscled in on her nights and generally crowded out all other considerations in her life.

Her supposed love for Lauren had been nothing like this. Loving Callie consumed her. She ached to see her and when she saw her, she ached to touch her and when she touched her, she ached for much more.…

And yet, Arizona was wracked with guilt at all times because they were living a lie. And most of all because she was lying to her sister. She'd been "engaged" to Callie for almost three weeks when she finally found the courage to confess. She'd been avoiding Teddy's calls, but this evening she made her way to her sister's apartment, ready to reveal everything and take her punishment.

She dreaded doing it. Although she doubted that Teddy had ever been as in love with Callie as she was herself, yet her sister had claimed Callie first. Arizona had no right to go falling in love with someone her sister liked and still cared for. It made her feel like a rat. And she was afraid that telling was only going to make her feel worse. But it had to be done.

"Teds, I have something I have to tell you," she said without preamble once she'd arrived at her sister's elaborately decorated place. She dropped to sit beside her on the overstuffed couch. Quickly she explained the circumstances, how Callie had caught her, the price she had exacted through blackmail.

"And ever since, I've been sort of…dating Callie."

Arizona looked guardedly into her sister's face, expecting anger, pain, outrage. Instead, she saw the crafty look Teddy had when she was hatching one of her plots.

"Then there's still a chance you could get your hands on my folder," Teddy said hopefully.

Arizona blinked. "Teddy, don't you understand? We're seeing each other. And…and we're getting rather close.""Great." Teddy's mind was on other things. "Then Callie should be happy to give you my folder. Work on her 'Zona."

Arizona sat back and stared at her. "You mean to tell me you don't care? Teddy! I slept with her!"

"About what? Callie?" Teddy made a face. "I think she's an arrogant SOB, but if you like her…" Arizona threw out her hands in exasperation. "I thought you were crazy about Callie Torres."

Teddy shrugged and wrinkled her nose. "Maybe I said something like that once. But I didn't really mean it. I was just trying to get you to see how badly I needed my…my letters back."

She went on talking, devising different scenarios by which Arizona could get this done, but Arizona wasn't listening. She was stunned to find that all her worrying had been for nothing.

So Teddy and Callie had never been an item in any way? Was that the truth? If so, it was a big relief.

And yet, things didn't really add up. There was only one way to get to the bottom of this. She had to see what was in that folder — see it for herself.


AN - Oh boy! Just one more chapter to go, which if you guys are nice enough can be dropped this weekend.