Yay! I managed to write this one-finally! You guys have been awesome with your reviews! I'm dying to know everyone's reaction to it. Happy Reading!

Disclaimer: All recognizable characters belong to Shonda, I'm simply playing with them.


"Torres you have to talk to her" Alex was begging to the best of his abilities. "I'm off all the important cases and all I got to do today was an appy removal"

Callie laughed. Watching Alex Karev this helpless was fun. "And what can I say that will change her mind?" She clicked her pen shut and started walking away. Alex stepped in front of her effectively blocking her way "Tell her it's not my fault." He began in a rush "In fact it's nobody's fault. We are adults. We can do what we want."

Callie placed her hands on her hips "You want to try that line of argument with Arizona? You have a notorious reputation Karev. She believes you are messing with her friend's life. I think she's been very lenient with you just because you are her favourite." Callie laughed while Alex frowned.

"What about Ginny? What does she think about it?" Callie asked as she and Alex began walking towards the pit.

"Ginny's been holed up in the OR with one case then another to avoid Arizona." He snorted. "So much for all her devil may care attitude!"

Callie chuckled at that. When she saw the first ambulance coming in, she looked at him and said "Ok Karev, you can be on my service for the meantime."


Ginny was simply looking at her phone as she twirled it in her hands. For the past 10 minutes Arizona had been "talking" to her. Even though she managed to blank out during most of the conversation Ginny still caught words like "irresponsible", "unhealthy relationship", "commitment" and "foolish". She sighed. She was seated on her desk as Arizona paced about her office. She owned an office and yet there was Arizona scolding her and making her feel like a teenager. The way Arizona's heels were clicking against the floor, they set up a rhythm that was slowly lulling her to sleep. She thought about the day. And she began wondering why Lexie had seemed a little flustered today. She had meant to ask Lexie about it, but before she could Arizona had cornered her.

There was a loud knock on the door before it was partially opened and Callie's head popped in. Ginny had never been happier to see Callie. "About time Torres" she said jumping down from her desk and walking towards the door as Arizona paused midway through her rant. "Now handle your woman" she continued still looking at Callie as Callie grinned.

"Where do you think you're going? Stop behaving childishly." Arizona glared.

"Then stop behaving like my mother" Ginny glared back as she stepped out of the room. "And when you really need a consult let me know" And with that she slammed the door behind her.

Arizona stood fuming in the middle of the room. "She's …she's so…so…argh!" Callie came over and gently wrapped Arizona in a hug. Drawing away slightly to look into Arizona's face she continued "Why don't you let me take you home and draw you a lovely bath and then you can tell me what's really bothering you. How does that sound?"

That did sound lovely to Arizona. With no Alex on her service and Ginny acting stupidly, she had had a shit day. The only lovely time was the half hour she got to spend with Sofia. She could really do with a relaxing bath. She lowered her head into Callie's chest and mumbled "Yeah that sounds lovely."


Callie checked the temperature of the water in the bath tub. It seemed right about perfect. "Lavender or rose?" she asked Arizona who was changing out of her clothes behind her.

"Whichever" she answered nonchalantly. Callie picked up the bottle of lavender bath salt and added it to the water. She turned around to look at Arizona and her breath hitched.

She could never get tired of simply watching Arizona. As she stood there naked, lost in thoughts, her blonde locks lying loose around her face, Callie desired to take her right then and there. But she dismissed those thoughts, at least temporarily. She promised her wife a warm bath to help unburden whatever thoughts were plaguing her. She smiled and held out her hand for Arizona to take. Arizona eyes finally focused on Callie and she smiled too as Callie helped her into the bathtub. First sitting and then reclining back she closed her eyes and let the warm water wash away her anxieties. Callie sat at the edge of the tub simply holding Arizona's hand and drawing small circles with her fingers on the back of Arizona's palm.

"So how was your day?" Arizona knew that Callie was trying not to push her, but she was trying to help Arizona "process".

"Shitty" Arizona replied her eyes still closed.

"Mine too in a way." Callie said lightly. "Alex kept bugging me just because he couldn't bug you. By the way you've spoilt him. He doesn't think anything is good enough as peds now." Arizona detected the mirth behind Callie's voice. And she acquiesces to let out a dry chuckle. Callie leans forward and brushes away the lock of hair that is falling over Arizona's face. "You said yourself he's a good guy" she says softly.

Arizona sighs "It's Ginny. How can he do that to her?" she said as she opened her eyes, and Callie noticed the concern clouding them.

"Ginny and he are adults, having consensual sex and both are more than perfectly ok with the arrangement. No strings attached, that's the way they want it." Callie couldn't understand why Arizona would be so upset about it. It wasn't like Ginny was anything more than a friend to Arizona. And she hoped Arizona would understand that there were boundaries between friends and that she couldn't dictate how Ginny should live her life.

"I know" Arizona said with anger rising in her voice. "And that's what bothers me. Ginny, she deserves better. She…she…I just wished she would stop acting stupid and give herself a chance to be happy." She slumped back again. "I know I have no right to interfere in her life or tell her how to lead her life, but…but I feel responsible for her."

Callie looked at the pain etched clear on Arizona's face. She turned Arizona's face towards her. "Why?" she asked still holding Arizona's face.

Arizona looked into Callie eyes and then as memories flooded her mind, she turned her head unable to keep looking at Callie. She let out a shuddered breath. "It's a long story." She looked up again and continued in a strangled whisper "Join me."

Callie took a moment to register what Arizona was asking. Then rising up she smiled and got about undressing herself. In a matter of minutes she had joined Arizona in the tub and was sitting behind her and holding her around the waist. Arizona leaned back into Callie and breathed. Just feeling the rise and fall of Callie's chest gave Arizona enough strength to say what she had been holding back for days.

"She was there…she was there when they lowered Timothy's body into the ground. She stood there by me, not saying anything while everyone else was offering me a word of comfort. She just stood there holding my hand." She paused. It had been years ago, but the pain of losing her brother still felt very real.

"We had just been dating for a few weeks then. She was a new intern. And I was freely abusing my position of power as a resident. Not that she wasn't using me too. But it was all a relationship of convenience. But after…after that…I found comfort in her. I went through the daily motions like a zombie and she would silently accept me. And I used her. Oh God, I used her Calliope" Arizona turned her head slightly and buried herself in Callie's raven locks as she pressed her head against her chest. Callie soothingly ran a hand down her back. She understood how difficult it was for Arizona to not just admit her failings but also relive the sad memories.

"And…and" Arizona lifted her head and with intermittent shuddering sobs continued "She gave herself to me selflessly. She didn't push me to live a normal life like everyone else was demanding of me. She gave me time. And slowly she pieced me back together in a way that I…I realized one day that that my life was centring round her. We had got into this familiar ease. And I was completely dependent on her. That…that was when I asked myself if…if I loved her?" Callie waited with bated breaths for the answer. She knew it was selfish of her. Before meeting Arizona, she had been in love and even got married. But in her heart she knew that whatever or whoever existed before Arizona didn't matter. It hadn't been love, till she had known what it was to love and be loved by Arizona.

"And I realized that I didn't love her." Arizona's voice was full of anguish. "And that I was simply being selfish. So I told her that one day. I simply told her as she sat on the bed reading a magazine. She simply looked up at me and shrugged her shoulders. All she said was "That's not new". I mean, Callie, that's all she said and she got back to reading her magazine. Had she screamed at me or abused me for being selfish I could have dealt with it. But I knew her history. I knew what she was like underneath all that carefree attitude. I knew she cared about me." Arizona let her voice trail. Callie placed light kisses on her shoulder but didn't say a word. She didn't know what to say.

"And after that, the monster was born. The heart-breaking monster. She went back to her old ways. She slept with every living creature that crossed her path and would be attracted to her, and trust me there were many. In the hospital, she invested herself completely in trying to prove that she was better than me, better than anyone else. And yet, she never behaved any differently with me. Eating lunch with me, discussing her cases, we were friends. I tried talking to her, but she would brush me off. And out of guilt I think, I started mentoring her. I looked out for her. I made Ginny the way she is now Callie. I did this to her" Arizona lowered her head in shame. Callie simply held her tightly against herself. "No, you were honest with her." She told Arizona in a soft whisper. "Had it gone on it would have ruined you both."

Arizona sniffled and continued speaking "I dated a few girls after her. None of them seriously. Some of them were even jealous of our friendship. But Ginny never stopped me from seeing them. And then one day suddenly she decided to move right across the country, took up the fellowship in Santa Monica and came to tell me about it with a bottle of red wine in her hands. I felt…I felt…that after Timothy…after him… someone I cared about was leaving me again."

"She listened to my ranting. Told me that she had moved on, that I needed to move on too. That I had to grow up. Ginevra Fontane was sitting in my living room telling me to grow up" Arizona laughed mirthlessly. "And she told me that she was used to moving around, associating and disassociating with people. That I should have gotten used to it too with my marine background. She was moving right across the country and she wanted me to not feel guilty about anything. She was living the life she wanted to live."

"I tried stopping her." Arizona sighed heavily. "She was my friend. She was more than that. She knew me, she understood me. And she…she was leaving me. I had a tough time when she left."

Callie's head was swimming in circles. There was just too much to process. But now that Arizona had decided to be honest Callie took the opportunity and asked her "Is she the reason you moved to Seattle?"

"In a way." Arizona answered after thinking over the question deeply. "Not to be close to her or anything. Just because I needed a change of scenery. Everything about Hopkins reminded me of her absence. And so I came to Seattle when the opportunity presented itself."

"And you didn't try to contact her?" Callie asked, desperately wanting to know if Callie had been someone that Arizona had only kissed because she was missing her friend.

"Umm…we did keep in touch. An odd e-mail every now and then. But they became less frequent as she immersed herself in her work and I…I met you." Callie didn't doubt the love and sincerity in her voice.

"Was she a reason behind you kissing me?" Callie asked softly, afraid that the answer would break her heart. She had asked Arizona the question earlier and Arizona had answered that she had no idea why, but she had simply followed her heart. She was asking again. Arizona drew in a deep breath and turned her head so she could look into Callie's eyes "The minute I saw you Calliope, I wanted you. I didn't know why. You simply drew me to yourself. And at Joe's that day, when I saw you sitting there, I was caught by this irresistible urge to fix you, to put everything right. I wanted to see the smile on your face. You told me to give you names and I was hypnotized by your moving lips. So I did what my heart told me to do. If you're asking me if I was thinking about Ginny as I kissed you, then the answer is no. The only thing that I was thinking about while I kissed you was that I could live in that eternal moment."

Callie leaned forward and kissed Arizona hoping that it conveyed to her all the love that she felt for her. She could never, never put to words what she felt then, what she was feeling now. All she knew was that the woman she held in her arms, the woman that was kissing her back with equal fervour right now, would be the woman she would think about as she lay dying.

When they broke apart, neither said anything. Words were useless in that moment. Arizona simply turned around and rested back onto Callie as Callie continued to hold her close to herself. It was another five minutes of comfortable silence that Callie spoke again "Ginny is here now. And we'll be there for her. We will be. She has no hard feelings for you. You have your friend back."

The use of "we" didn't go unnoticed by Arizona. She smiled to herself. She didn't know how she had been so lucky as to find Callie. And so much more luckier that Callie loved her. Loved her so much that even after knowing all the truth she was ready to forgive her, to love her.

"The water's no longer hot" Arizona said. Callie laughed lightly. "Do you want to shower while I go make dinner?" she asked removing Arizona's blonde hair to a side and kissing her shoulder. Arizona tilted her head as she answered "How about you join me in the shower?"


Later that night as Arizona slipped into bed and snuggled into Callie she thought about the day that had been. She felt infinitely lighter. She knew that even though she couldn't intrude in Ginny's life, she decided she would still look out for her. And Alex, she knew Alex was a great guy. But she didn't think he was the right guy for Ginny.

"Will you apologize to the two tomorrow?" Callie asked even as she let out a yawn. The long relaxing bath and the "exercise" later along with the pizza and wine had more than prepared her for a good night's sleep.

Arizona scoffed. "I'll have Alex back on my service. And Ginny…me and her will be just fine."

That was her plan. It was a perfect plan.


Okay! *heaves a sigh of relief! I know everyone's been waiting to know their past. I hope this lives up to your standards. I also realize that this scene had potentials to go "M"- I was tempted to, but I didn't want to change the ratings.

As always I love hearing what you think! Lots of love- G