Chapter 28:

"Mama...mama...I go?"

Hannah was tugging on the leg of Terri's pants as the brunette watched her girlfriend frantically pace around the kitchen.

Bending down, she scooped the small child into her arms and let her rest on her hip. Hannah immediately wrapped her arms around her mother's neck and turned her head so she could trace the movements of her other mother.

"No, honey. Mommy has to go put band-aids on little humans' ouchies."

Hannah's blue eyes lit up and she bounced against the hip that was supporting her weight.

"I 'wittle' human. Mommy put 'ban-daid' on me?"

Arizona laughed when she heard her daughter's words. Biting into the bagel she'd been preparing herself, she stepped up to where the small child was being held by Terri.

"You don't have any ouchies, silly. I make sure of that." she said.

Hannah smiled and reached out her arms for the blonde. The smaller woman leaned in towards her girlfriend and allowed her to pass Hannah into her embrace. Holding the bagel away from her body, she turned her head and smiled once more at her daughter.

"Give Mommy a kiss and make sure it's a super one, too."

Hannah lightly grasped the blonde's neck and gave her a sloppy kiss on the cheek.

"Okay, be good for Mama." Arizona said before placing a gentle kiss on her daughter's forehead and hugging her softly.

She passed Hannah, once more, to her girlfriend. Terri lowered her head and gave the blonde's lips a quick peck.

"See you when you get home." the green eyed woman said.

Terri sat in her hotel room deep in thought. Since leaving the hospital, her mind had been on a continuous replay of every memory she'd ever made regarding Hannah. Maybe it was due to the fact that she'd brought up her own pain over the loss when she'd gathered the items for the box she'd put together for Arizona.

When she'd brought everything with her to Seattle, she'd originally planned to give them to the blonde in person while they talked about each item and worked through Arizona's grief together.

Things hadn't worked out that way. Hell, nothing had played out the way the brunette had intended. All she could do was hope that Callie had given her gift to her ex and that the hispanic woman would be able to help her in some way. It was all out of her hands now.

She glanced out the window to her left and sighed. Seattle was rainy. A steady sheet of rain was falling heavily down the glass of the window. She would be happy when she returned to her home where she would be away from the constant threat of a Seattle downpour.

Standing from the couch, the tall brunette crossed the living area of the hotel room and made the short trek to the piano sitting near the fireplace.

She allowed her fingers to lightly graze the ivory keys from right to left. It had been a long time since last she'd played. When Hannah had been alive, Terri had played for her often. The small girl had been fascinated with the sounds each key could make.

Sitting on the bench in front of the piano, she continued to let her fingers run atop the keys. Memories flooded her mind once again.

"Middle C" Terri said as she looked down to her 3 year old daughter. The blue-eyed child glanced up at her and smiled.

She grabbed her mother's left thigh and scooted her small body across the piano bench. Terri gently picked her up and placed her in her lap. Hannah immediately jammed all ten fingers onto the keys of the piano causing a shrill sound to fill the space of the den.

Laughing, the green-eyed woman tenderly placed her hands over the small ones of her daughter and removed her fingers from the piano. While still holding Hannah's hands in her own, she guided the child's left hand farther to the left and placed her index finger on a key.

"Middle C, Hannah."

Terri knew it would be some time before her daughter was ready for recitals, but she hoped to instill an appreciation for music as early as possible. Hannah was curious about the piano and had told her that she wanted to do what Mama did. So, Terri had slowly started teaching Hannah the basics. She was thrilled that the two of them would have something that was uniquely theirs.

"Iddle thee" Hannah said, a slight lisp noticeable in her speech.

"That's right, Dims. Good girl." Terri's voice was soft and full of pride.

Shaking the memories from her mind's eye, the green-eyed woman smiled sadly to herself as her fingers found a familiar position in front of her. Hesitating for a moment, Terri closed her eyes and moved her fingers along the keys.

'Piano Sonata No.14 op. 27-2 "Moonlight 1st movement' flowed beautifully from the piano. The quiet slow start of the piece sadly gave voice to Terri's emotions. With each note played, the sounds reverberated through the brunette's body and found resonance in her soul.

As she progressed through the first movement, she could feel her body moving to keep pace with the melody of the sonata. Her eyes, still closed, danced with visions of her daughter. Though tears did not fall, Terri allowed her feelings to find a peace in the music she was creating.

She saw Hannah smiling and laughing. She remembered birthdays and holidays. Hannah's voice played in her mind and rang in her ears. Memories of their piano lessons visited her and caused a smile to grace her lips as she continued to play.

For just a moment, Terri could let herself imagine that the small girl was sitting next to her intently listening and watching her mother play. If she let herself get caught up in the piece, she could almost feel Hannah's warmth next to her.

The sonata continued to sound gracefully in the space of the brunette's hotel room. She couldn't believe that she'd given up playing the piano for so long. After Hannah had passed away, Terri had been unable to even hear a piano without thinking of her daughter. Playing now, as she was, she realized what she'd given up. To not play had been an affront to her daughter's memory. Letting herself go as the haunting chords washed over her, Terri smiled again.

She was playing for Hannah. She was remembering her daughter and she was honoring her life.

As the piece came to a finish, the slender woman was shaken from her musically induced euphoria by the sound of the phone ringing. Allowing herself a moment to gather her composure, she stood from the piano bench and walked to the desk in the right corner of the room.

"Yes?" she said as she brought the receiver to her ear.

"Terri? It's Callie." the voice on the other end of the phone stated.

Terri paused for a moment. She couldn't imagine why her ex's girlfriend would be calling her. Was there a problem with Arizona? Had she given the box to the blonde like Terri had requested? Questions ran through her mind eluding the answers she sought of them.

"Callie, hi. Is everything okay?" the brunette asked before sitting herself in the chair at the desk. The rain continued to slide down the glass of the window in front of her.

"Yeah, yeah. We were, uh, we were hoping we could meet up with you before you leave tomorrow. Arizona wants to talk with you."

Heart racing, Terri exhaled and brought a knee up to her chest. Wrapping an arm around her leg, she released another breath before, "Yeah, sure. Just let me know a time and place and I could-"

"Actually," Callie's voice interrupted her, "we thought meeting in your hotel would be best. It's more private."

Terri was startled into silence for a moment. Arizona and Callie were both wanting to meet with her. She guessed she couldn't really blame the dark haired woman for wanting to come along. After what she'd allowed to happen the last time the blonde had been in her hotel, she could see the need Callie would feel in accompanying Arizona.

"Okay, that would fine. You're both welcome to stop by whenever it's convenient for you both." the green-eyed woman replied.

"Alright, we'll see you soon. Thanks, Terri."

With that, Callie ended the call and left a slightly perturbed Terri sitting by the window in her hotel.


After their emergency pages, both Callie and Arizona had spent the next several hours of their shifts in one surgery or another. The time had passed quickly and allowed both women the joy of finishing their day in the O.R.

When 8:00 a.m rolled around soon after, both surgeons were well past exhausted and looking forward to heading home. After stopping at a local diner near the hospital to grab a quick breakfast, the two women now found themselves in Arizona's apartment. Since the initial baby question weeks ago, both Callie and Arizona had spent more and more time in the blonde's apartment.

Callie kicked her shoes off and flung her leather jacket on the arm of the couch. Flopping down heavily on the cushions, the tall latina sighed deeply.

"I hate these overnight shifts." she complained.

Arizona laughed softly before bending to lift her girlfriend's legs from the couch. Sitting herself down next to the dark skinned woman, she proceeded to bring Callie's legs down onto her lap. She gently massaged the other woman's calves with her fingers.

"It's only one more day, Calliope. Then, we're both off for two whole super awesome days!" she said brightly.

Callie snorted from the other end of the couch. Lifting her hands from her face, she eyed the blonde for a moment.

"We'll be spending those "super awesome days" asleep."

Arizona only smirked at her girlfriends apparent bad mood. She ran her hands along Callie's calves, over her knees and up her thighs. There was nothing sexual in her touches. She was just enjoying being able to feel the other woman. It was comforting to Callie. It was comforting to her.

Turning her head to the left, she noticed her girlfriend's eyes were closed. Her soothing caresses were easing Callie's moment of vexation.

"Hmm, if you keep doing that, you're going to put me to sleep right now."

The blonde smiled at the drowsy voice. Her fingers continued to tenderly rub and massage her lover's sore muscles. For several minutes, the only sounds in the living room of Arizona's apartment were the soft moans escaping Callie's full lips and the slight laughter bubbling from the blonde's throat.

"Arizona?" the hispanic woman said after a moment.

The smaller woman stilled her fingers and turned her head toward the voice. Callie's eyes were still closed, but when she felt the fingers stop their ministrations, she spoke.

"We should see what else is in the box." she said in sleep heavy tones.

The blonde inhaled slowly and lowered her eyes. She knew her girlfriend was correct but a part of her still rebelled at the idea. Arizona desperately wanted to put everything behind her so that she and Callie could just go back to being them. To being in love. A larger part of her knew that coming to terms with her past was her only option if she truly wanted to move forward.

Taking a deep breath, the smaller woman raised her eyes to the table directly in front of the couch. Sitting on top of a stack of magazines was the object of her trepidation. The first two items she'd managed to look over before being paged had brought her a profound amount of joy. Hannah's swaddle was the closest she'd come to actually holding her daughter in close to two years. Knowing she had several dvds to watch caused her stomach to flip in on itself in nervous excitement.

She wasn't sure where her anxiety was coming from. Whatever the cause, it made Arizona's heart beat faster in her chest.

"Hey." a soft voice broke the silence.

The blonde shook her head of curls slightly and looked in the direction of the voice. Callie's dark eyes were open and tracing over her face.

"We don't have to if you don't feel ready, Ari. I just thought you'd like to know what else was in the box. We could always watch one of the home movies. I'd like to see her."

Callie sat up and scooted closer to the blonde. Her legs were still laying across Arizona's thighs. When she'd gotten as close as she could, she reached out with her right hand and gently pushed her lover's hair away from her face. Her left hand found the smaller woman's jaw and turned her head towards her own.

Leaning in slowly, the dark skinned woman allowed her nose to graze a light path along Arizona's cheek. She heard her girlfriend take a sudden breath. The hands on her legs grasped her knees responsively.

Pushing the blonde hair in her right hand farther away from an ivory neck, the Latina leaned closer and let her lips come to rest against her girlfriend's ear.

"Or, you could just repay that favor. My body's been longing for yours since last night." she said in a low voice thick with arousal. To emphasize her point, she let her tongue wetly trace a heated path along the outside of the blonde's ear.

Arizona moaned and grasped Callie's thighs. Her hands were kneading the other woman's flesh fiercely. Turning her head, she captured the mouth that had, only moments ago, been teasing her.

When her lips met Callie's, she sighed in satisfaction. The ortho surgeon was her drug. No matter how bad or nerve-wracking a situation was, the feel of the latina's lips on her own always turned things around. This time was no different. The blonde felt her stomach settling as her heart slowed to beat in rhythm with her lover's.

Pushing against the other woman, Arizona maneuvered them so that her own body was nestled between Callie's legs while the raven haired woman found herself on her back.

"Your body missed me?" she said playfully between kisses.

Biting her lower lip, the taller woman hummed as her fingers ran down the blonde's chest. She lifted her legs and wrapped them around Arizona's back.

"Like crazy. I walked around the hospital all night extremely turned on." Callie replied before using her legs, wrapped around the other woman, to bring their bodies closer together. Her hands, on the blonde's chest, moved lower and soon found her girlfriend's breasts.

The Latina leaned forward and caught Arizona's lips with her own. She allowed her hands to grab greedily at the mounds beneath her fingertips. Moaning deeply, she lifted her hips and rolled them seductively against the body above her own.

Arizona sighed into the mouth attacking her lips and let her tongue hotly glide along Callie's. Bracing herself on her left arm, she let her right hand splay across her girlfriend's chest. Her fingers curled and bunched around the other woman's shirt.

"How turned on are you right now?" the blonde whispered against full lips.

Callie nipped playfully at her lover's lower lip and squeezed the other woman's right nipple between her thumb and forefinger.

"Why don't you find out yourself." the Latina said as Arizona gasped into her mouth.

Callie knew that she and Arizona needed to finish looking over the container that Terri had left, but she was also aware that pushing the blonde too fast would accomplish little in the end. Right now, she knew that settling her girlfriend's nerves would go a long way to the other woman seeing things through.

She felt the hand on her chest burn a hot trail between her breasts and over her stomach. Arizona's head fell towards her own and her breath washed over her face.

"I love you" the blonde said trailing her fingers to the top of Callie's pants.

The raven haired woman removed her hands from the Arizona's breasts and wrapped them around her head. She brought her lips up to gently kiss the lips so close to her own and moaned lightly when she felt dexterous fingers slide under the waist band of her panties.

"Hmm, I love you, too baby." Callie breathed out heavily.

Arizona's fingers were teasing her though her underwear and the dark skinned woman's hips were moving in a desperate attempt to find any solid contact. She felt the other woman pull away from their kiss and she groaned.

"Tell me what your body wants, Calliope." the smaller woman said roughly against her ear.

Callie rolled her hips again and moaned. She could feel her own wetness as she moved. Her hands on the blonde's head threaded through curly locks and she moaned again when she felt nimble fingers rub suddenly across her clit.

"Tell me what you want." Arizona said hotly in against ear. The feel of the other woman's lips caused the Latina to release a breath she couldn't recall ever taking. She turned her head and tenderly kissed the side of her lover's face before positioning her own mouth close to Arizona's ear.

"I want you to touch me." Her voice was thick with passion and lust and the sound of it caused the blonde to moan with contentment.

Arizona allowed her fingers to move with purpose. Sliding lower over her girlfriend's panties, she eventually came to the throbbing and pulsing core of Callie's arousal. Flicking a nail over the swollen flesh elicited a gasp from the other woman.

"Ari..."

The smaller woman moved her head so she could look down into her lover's face. Callie's brow was scrunched and her eyes were closed as she continued to ride the waves of pleasure Arizona's fingers were causing.

"Is this how you want me to touch you?" the blonde asked. Her fingers were rubbing hot circles across Callie's clit through her underwear. The friction between the Latina's legs was almost unbearable. Her wetness was continuing to collect and pool around her opening as the woman above her drove her to the edge.

Before the dark haired woman could respond to her lover's question, she felt the fingers, giving her so much satisfaction, move suddenly. Groaning at the loss of heat and contact, Callie opened her eyes slightly in a silent inquiry.

Arizona smirked at her with a sexy expression before moving her fingers under her panties and running them through her wetness.

"Jesus, Calliope." the blonde moaned against her face.

The ortho surgeon grinned through hooded lids and bucked her hips to increase their contact. She let her mouth find Arizona's and attacked her lips with fervor.

The blonde couldn't believe the amount of moisture her fingers were sliding through. The heat coming from Callie's center almost burned. How the other woman had become aroused so fast, Arizona could barely fathom. Her girlfriend had told her that she'd been turned on since their earlier on-call room session, but that had been hours ago. Callie must have been aroused this entire time like she'd told her.

The evidence her fingers were gliding though was testimony enough to corroborate her assumptions. She briefly lost all sense of time and coherent thought as she continued to explore the other woman. Though her fingers had long since mapped Callie's body, she never ceased to be amazed and awed at the perfection of their simple moments.

Running her fingers back through the slick heat surrounding her fingers, she allowed her thumb to slide hotly across Callie's clit. The other woman tore her mouth away from pink lips and a deep moan escaped her throat. Her hips were rolling in a delicious manner while her center found pleasurable contact with her lover's fingers.

Arizona dropped her head to Callie's and opened her eyes.

"Is this how you want me to touch you, baby?"

She was enjoying being able to tease Callie. Never was her girlfriend more beautiful or more inspiring than when she was in the throes of passion. Having control over the body she craved more than the air she breathed was a heady high to the blonde that she found she was addicted to.

Callie was breathing rapidly and her chest was rising and falling in an errant pattern as she fought with herself to draw air into her lungs.

She could barely think clearly, let alone try to form words. Arizona was building her arousal in such a slow and heated way, it was causing her head to spin. Opening her eyes slightly, she met the dark blue gaze of the woman on top of her and moaned again at the lust staring back at her.

The fingers swirling around her clit stopped without warning and the next thing the latina was aware of was a hand at her mouth. Arizona was looking at her with a confident expression and smug smile on her perfect lips.

Meeting the gaze evenly, Callie grasped the blonde's fingers and brought them to her mouth. Licking her own arousal from them, she allowed her tongue to tease the smaller woman's finger tips.

Her eyes never left the blue above her and as she continued her oral assault, she felt Arizona rocking against her.

The blonde removed her fingers from Callie's mouth and brought her lips down harshly against the other woman's. She could taste the latina's essence on her tongue and it rocked her to her core. Her left hand, which had been supporting her weight, grasped Callie's hair that was splayed out behind her.

She moved her right hand back down her girlfriend's body and grabbed the waist band of her pants.

"These have to go." she said, tugging at the jeans, "Now."

Callie raised her hips to accommodate the smaller woman. The scent of her arousal immediately filled both their senses once the pants were on the floor beside them. Before Callie could warp her legs back around the blonde, Arizona stood from the couch.

Shocked almost to the point of insanity, the dark skinned woman opened her eyes and glared at her lover.

"Arizona, what the hell are you doing? Get back down here before I have to take care of myself."

The peds surgeon smirked at her. Keeping her eyes locked with the dark brown of the woman she loved, Arizona unbuttoned her own pants and lowered them slowly to the floor. She watched as Callie's eyes became impossibly darker and her breathing became even more shallow.

"I'm going to take care of you, Calliope." Arizona said in a sultry voice before bending to slid the fingers of both of her hands under Callie's underwear.

She felt the Latina jerk at the contact and it only made the smirk on her face more evident. Grasping the sides of the garment firmly, the blonde slid them down caramel thighs.

Callie watched from the head of the couch through heavily hooded lids. The feather light feel of Arizona's fingers as they made their way down her legs was a sweet torture. She could feel her wetness continuing to make itself known.

When her panties finally reached her ankles, she kicked them across the room and reached for Arizona.

"Come here." she said in a heavy whisper.

The blonde smiled genuinely at her and quickly relieved herself of her own underwear. Taking Callie's proffered hand, she lowered herself back down to her body.

Both women moaned when their half naked bodies came back into contact. Callie's wet heat left Arizona feeling dizzy as it smeared across her lower stomach. She felt her lover instantly wrap her legs across her back and the feeling of being surrounded by her caused Arizona's own wetness to increase.

She dropped her right leg to the floor next to the couch and used the leverage the position provided to push against Callie's body. The sensual grunt from full lips at the gesture let the blonde know her idea was going to go over well.

Her center was sliding wetly across Callie's left thigh. The jolts of pleasure flowing through her body at the contact caused her to moan. She brought her lips back to the Latina's and passionately kissed her.

Using her right hand, she glided her fingers down between their bodies until she came to Callie's center. Once again, the heat, rolling in waves, was insane. Adjusting their positions slightly, Arizona lowered her fingers and gently spread her lover open.

Callie gasped, almost painfully, into her mouth before turning her head to attempt to breathe.

"Ari...what are..."

Before her lover could question her further, Arizona moved so that her own sex could settle hotly against the body beneath her own. Removing her fingers from Callie's folds, she brought both of her hands up and let them rest against the arm rest above her girlfriend's head.

Pushing forward, using the leverage her right foot on the floor provided, the blonde rolled her body into Callie's. Their wetness normally would have made the position nearly impossible, but with Callie's legs wrapped around Arizona's waist and Arizona's foot keeping them in place, the two of them quickly fell into a familiar dance.

The Latina gently placed her hands on the sides of the blonde's face and proceeded to kiss her several times. Her lips nipped and sucked and teased as her hips moved to stay in contact with the body above her.

Her heart was pounding loudly in her head and the hot, wet friction between her thighs was pure decadence. She and Arizona had only ever used this position once and at that time, they'd not been lying down together. Their current positions allowed for much more contact.

Arizona continued to grind her heated sex against her lover's. She was unsure, now, whose wetness belonged to whom. Her clit was on fire and the steady throbbing was almost painful in its intensity.

Kissing Callie's lips fully, she pulled away and moved her head so that her mouth could find the other woman's ear.

Voice heavy with emotion and ragged with her efforts, Arizona whispered, "Is this how you want me to touch you, Calliope?"

Her hips picked up their pace and she heard, as well as felt, her lover moan at the sensation.

"Yesss." Callie hissed through clenched teeth. "You're amazing...don't stop...don't stop, Ari."

Callie's hands moved slowly from the blonde's face down her neck and finally to her shoulders. Her nails dug into creamy white shoulder blades as she felt the onset of her orgasm approaching.

"I love you...I love you...you feel so good, Calliope."

The raven haired woman found that she could no longer speak. The heat between her legs was burning a fire in her soul and the liberating amounts of pleasure Arizona was causing was enough to stop her higher brain functions.

All she could do was roll her hips and dig her fingers into the body on top of her. Her heart was racing in an effort to find her release while at the same time her body wanted only to live on the precipice forever.

This was life. This was emotion at its purest form. This was the meaning of existence. It wasn't just about how good the experience felt, though that didn't exactly hurt matters any, it was about the connection. It was about experiencing life with another person who loved you wholly; as you lived them. That moment before release was always Callie's favorite. It was the most guileless time she could ever imagine.

As her body finally found its bliss with her partner, she couldn't help the sob that came from her lips or the tears that spilled from her eyes. Arizona was perfect and when they moved together, breathed together and came together, the entire act only cemented that truth for her.


Arizona let her body sag on the curvaceous form beneath her. Her breathing was sharp and ragged. She allowed her hands, which had been on the arm rest of the couch, to fall to either side of Callie's face. Softly, she turned her head and her nose traced along the outside of her girlfriend's throat.

The dark skinned woman lowered her legs from a slender waist and ran her foot along the back of Arizona's right calf. Her hands found their way to the nape of a blonde head and she tenderly threaded her fingers into golden tresses. She could feel the reassuring cadence of the smaller woman's heart against her chest and it caused her own heart to skip a beat.

The tears that had escaped her eyes during her fall into the abyss were cooling in light tracks down her cheeks. She swallowed a moan when she felt the warm body atop of her own shift slightly.

Arizona brought her left hand to Callie's cheek and let her thumb gently caress her skin. Smiling fully, she searched her face for a moment before leaning down and tenderly kissing away salty tears. Her lips were light and soft as they moved from the dark haired Latina's cheeks to her nose and then to her eyelids. The blonde whispered kisses across her brow and hairline and finally met full lips in a searing panorama of love.

Callie smiled into the kiss and turned her head to allow her tongue to slip into Arizona's mouth. Her entire body was thrumming with emotion. She couldn't seem to find a position that would get her as close to her lover as her body desired.

The woman on top of her pulled away from her lips and brushed her hair away from her face.

"I love you, Calliope. So much."

Callie opened her eyes to meet her lover's gaze and felt herself falling in love with the blonde all over again. Arizona was smiling her special smile. Her eyes were sparkling with adoration and amazement and her lips were stretched into a thin line that tugged at the corners of her mouth.

The Latina dropped her right hand from the smaller woman's hair and trailed it over her collar bone in a sensual pattern.

"I love you, too. I think I fall in love with you everyday." Callie whispered as she lowered her eyes and watched her fingers run along a smooth chest.

Laughing softly, Arizona kissed the other woman quickly before rolling away from her body.

"That's good to know, because I want to be around for a long, long time. Now, let's save water and take a shower together. We'll deal with Terri's gift afterward."


Some time later, Callie and Arizona found themselves back on the blonde's couch. Their hair was still damp from their recent shower together and both of their bodies were glowing with a warm heat.

Callie sat herself down in the right corner of the couch and brought her legs up under her. She watched as her girlfriend settled herself to her left and mimicked her position.

"Okay, let's see what else is in there." Arizona said as she leaned her body against her lover's.

Callie gave her hand a quick squeeze and leaned forward to grab the box on the table in front of them. Pulling the lid off, she handed the container to the smaller woman.

Arizona hesitated for a moment before reaching inside to remove the two items she'd looked over earlier. Feeling the softness of Hannah's swaddle under her fingers brought a small smile to her face. She placed the dvds on her coffee table and looked back inside the box in her hands.

The first item her eyes landed on brought a flare of mixed emotions. Reaching inside, she pulled out a thin newspaper clipping. It was Hannah's obituary.

She read the words on the black and white piece of paper several times. She couldn't remember ever having seen them before. Terri must have dealt with the matter. The obituary did not have a picture of her daughter, and for that she was grateful. The biographical information said only that she'd passed away after a battle with an unnamed disease.

It went on to list that her parents, Pediatric surgeon, Dr. Arizona Robbins and her partner, Dr. Teresa Clashe would be holding a memorial service later in the week. She couldn't even recall the memorial service mentioned.

"Arizona?" a gentle voice called to her.

Blinking, she turned her head and looked into the face of her girlfriend.

"I'm sorry. I don't...I don't remember any of this. Why would she put this in here?" the blonde asked.

Callie took the obit from the blonde and looked it over. Towards the middle of the small strip of paper was a section stating that Hannah was preceded in death by one uncle, Major Daniel Robbins Jr, United States Marine Corp. She let her eyes scan over the rest of the obituary and looked back to the waiting face of her girlfriend.

"I think that's why, Arizona. You went into a...a fugue state it sounds like. You can't even recall these events." she said holding up the paper in her hand.

"It wasn't a good time, Calliope." the blonde said defensively.

Callie leaned closer to the other woman and brought a tanned hand to her wrist.

"Hey, no one's saying it was. I think Terri was trying to get you to face reality when she put this in there. You closed yourself off from everybody, Ari. You tried to run from things so you wouldn't have to deal with them. Your type A personality did a number on you."

Looking back at the newspaper clipping in her hand, she continued.

"This is the reality, sweetheart. I hate that it is. You didn't allow yourself to grieve. You were afraid to face those emotions. I think Terri wants you to feel what you need to feel."

Arizona could feel her eyes beginning to sting from her unshed tears. Her throat was swelling from her battle with herself. She reached for her daughter's obit and as she looked at it, she felt heavy tears fall from her eyes.

"I miss her so much, Calliope."

With that admission, the peds attending finally broke down. Everything she'd been keeping in or keeping at bay left her body in a wild release of emotions. Callie wrapped her in her arms and whispered sweet nothings in her ear. For several minutes, the tall latina was at a loss as to how else she could comfort her lover.

She knew that Arizona's acceptance and grief were long overdue, but she still couldn't help but feel inept as she cradled the small body she loved in her embrace. Her heart hurt for the blonde. She couldn't imagine the emotions her girlfriend was experiencing. It was still hard for the dark skinned woman to accept the fact that, yes, her lover, her Arizona had lost a child.

Kissing the tip of the blonde's ear, she closed her eyes as she rocked their bodies in a soothing pattern.

Eventually, she felt the other woman's tears starting to slow their pace and the body in her arms shook with less force than before.

Bending her head to meet blue eyes, Callie smiled sadly and kissed the corner of Arizona's lips.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

The smaller woman stared at her for a moment. Her hands were on Callie's shoulder and the warmth of her body brought her back to the present. She couldn't believe how lucky she was to have such an amazing woman to spend her life with. Callie's presence made anything seem possible. Though her heart felt raw and her emotions ragged, having the other woman by her side left her with the feeling that she could take on anything and survive.

Returning the light kiss she'd received, Arizona sniffed back her tears and nodded slowly.

"I am now. I guess I needed to get all of that out, huh?" she replied, laughing nervously.

"Yeah, I think you did, baby." Callie said in a soft tone of voice. Her fingers were running up and down the blonde's arms in a further attempt to calm her nerves.

"Calliope? Thank you. I know I've said that a lot lately, but you have no idea how much having you here helps. All of this...it feels like it should be another person's drama. Not mine."

"I know." the Latina said.

"You've stuck by me through it all, even when I pushed you away. I just..." the blonde paused as her eyes traveled across the beautiful face in front of her.

Shrugging, she smiled and finished with, "Thank you."

Callie returned her smile and kissed her sweetly on the lips. Deciding to lighten the mood, the raven haired woman said, "I've only put up with it because the sex is so earth shattering."

Both women burst into a fit of laughter at the ortho surgeon's joke. Arizona could feel her mood beginning to brighten at the rich sound of her girlfriend's deep laughing. Grabbing the other woman's hand, she brought her fingers to her lips and kissed the tips of them.

"I love you." the blonde stated simply.

The taller woman rewarded her with a million watt smile that only enhanced her mood.

"I love you, too, baby. Now, let's finish looking over things so we can sleep. All that hot sex has worn me out.

Arizona continued to stare at the other woman with a sense of wonder before finally bringing her attention back to the box next to her.

Tossing the obituary onto the table next to the swaddle and dvds, she looked back into the container holding so many memories.

Another thin piece of paper greeted her. She smiled as she lifted it from the bottom of the box.

Callie's breath caught when she saw it and she smiled. "Hannah's birth certificate."

The blonde ran her fingers over the letters of her daughter's name. She remembered the day of her birth in vivid detail. The labor, the delivery, finally meeting the tiny little life that she'd carried for nine months. She remembered everything about that day. She remembered Terri being every bit the 'expectant father'. She remembered her own parents hovering in nervous anticipation.

Everything about that day, January 13th, she knew she'd never forget. Never in her life had she felt more important than when she'd finally held her daughter in her arms. That day, she'd changed for the better because she was no longer just responsible for herself. She was responsible for another life. A life more important than her own. A life that cemented what it mean to be human.

Callie was silent as she watched her girlfriend. A shy smile could be seen on the blonde's face and Callie knew that she was remembering the day of Hannah's birth. She watched as her fingers continued to trace the letters on the birth certificate.

"Why did you name her Hannah?" she asked, jolting Arizona from her reverie.

The smaller woman shook her head and continued to smile.

"Hannah was my father's mother's name. We named her after my grandmother. Terri wanted a connection with her, so we named her after Terri's mother, Marie. Hannah Marie."

The dark skinned woman laid her hand on top of her girlfriend's and laced their fingers together. She could tell that the blonde's relationship with her daughter, though short lived, had been powerful. Sighing, she realized how much she wished she could have seen that side of her lover.

"That's a pretty name, Ari."

Arizona took a breath as her eyes stayed focused on her child's birth certificate.

"Yeah, little Hannah Marie. My 'Dims'. She wasn't just a dream." she said in a near silent whisper.

Callie scrunched her brows as she realized that the blonde's ending statement had been more to herself than anything else.

"Arizona?" she questioned, wondering at the meaning behind the words.

The blonde blinked at turned her head to meet her gaze.

"At times, I've missed her so much that the pain was too unbearable. Everything's gotten so blurred in my mind that I'd almost convinced myself that she'd only been a dream."

Shaking her head and taking a deep breath, she continued, "If she was just a dream, then I wouldn't have to miss her so badly. I know it sounds crazy. I don't know how else to explain it. But, holding this, it's confirmation of her life. Being surrounded by all of these things...it's so overwhelming, but in a good way."

Callie remained quiet as the blonde's words settled around her. She understood, in a small way, what the other woman was trying to say. When George had died, it had been easier for her to believe that he hadn't meant as much to her as he had. Though her feelings for the man had been nowhere near as strong as the feelings Arizona had felt for her daughter, she could see what the other woman was attempting to explain.

"She wasn't a dream, baby. She was your little girl and you were her amazing mother. She was so lucky to get to experience life with you in it."

Arizona released a breath and a huge smile broke out across her face. She grasped her girlfriend's hand tightly and squeezed her fingers.

"Calliope...I wish you could have known her. She would have adored you."

Callie's smile faded somewhat, but she kept the light in her eyes so as not to alarm her lover. The blonde's statement rocked her for a moment. She wanted a baby so badly. Knowing what she now knew about Arizona's past, she couldn't ever see that dream coming to fruition. A child was the only thing missing in her life to fully complete the dream she had for herself.

She wanted a house, and a family, and even crazy chickens in her future. The house and the chickens were a reality. The children, their children, their family was not. She'd told the other woman that she didn't want kids if it meant she couldn't have her in her life and she'd meant that. It still stung to know she'd never get to experience the joy of childbirth or the simple act of holding her own tiny human.

Smiling brightly once more she said, "Me too, Ari. I would have been crazy about her."

Arizona didn't notice the slight waver in Callie voice. She tossed a quick smile her lover's way and leaned forward once again to place the latest item from the box on the coffee table.

"Okay, what's next?" she said as she placed her fingers back inside of the container. For a third time, she pulled out a thin sheet of paper.

For a moment, she thought she was staring at another copy of Hannah's birth certificate. When her eyes scanned the document more fully, she noticed the heading at the top.

'Certificate of Death'

She felt herself shaking her head. The document listed Hannah's date of birth, date of demise, reason for demise and the location of said demise. Dropping the piece of paper, she stood quickly, the box falling to the floor.

Despite herself, she couldn't seem to understand Terri's reasoning for placing Hannah's death certificate in the container. The obituary had been bad enough, but the death certificate was just morbid.

Squeezing her eyes shut tightly, she brought a hand to her forehead.

Callie bent down to pick the document from off the floor. She allowed her eyes to take in the information on the paper before sighing. Hannah had died on January 2nd. Eleven days before her fifth birthday. Also listed was the name and birth place of Hannah's mother, Arizona. The section for her father's information was blank.

It stated the cause of death as Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.

"Arizo-"

Before she could offer any words of comfort, the blonde turned around and spoke over her.

"This isn't helpful in anyway, Calliope. I know how my daughter died. I know when she died. I know."

Wiping a hand across her nose, she said, "You know, we first realized something might be wrong when we noticed petechia on Hannah's stomach. She'd had a fever a few weeks before and had lost some weight. I took her to the hospital and examined her myself. I ran a complete blood count to exclude any other diseases and when everything came back and her white blood cell count was so high, I still refused to believe what my medical knowledge was telling me."

Callie stood a few feet away from the blonde and listened with a heavy heart. Her eyes were shining with unshed tears and her fingers were tightly grasping the death certificate in her hands.

"My three year had to have a bone marrow biopsy. She was so scared, Calliope. Even though they gave her a local anesthetic, she still cried. When we got the results, they only confirmed what we already knew."

Arizona bit the inside of her cheek and swallowed several times to keep herself from crying.

"We caught it early enough. Her survival rate was promising. We waited for results, like I told you before. When things weren't looking up, her doctors ordered a lumbar puncture. A lumbar puncture on a four year old. The cancer had spread into her spinal column and into her brain."

The Latina continued to listen to her girlfriend's sad words. Her tears had long since fallen from her eyes and she was finding it difficult to remain standing.

"Her survival rate plummeted. I knew that. Hannah's doctor's knew that. Still, I fought for her. I read up on everything I could find about her condition. I refused to let her become a statistic."

Turning away from her lover, Arizona let her eyes get lost in front of her. She inhaled deeply as she recalled her battle to save her little girl.

"I knew it was only a matter of time, but I couldn't accept that. The cancer was so aggressive, Calliope and she was so tired. I stepped out of her room one day to grab a coffee and clear my head and when I got back-"

Her voice caught in her throat and she shook her head before closing her eyes.

"When I got back, Hannah was gone. So, I know how she died. I didn't need Terri giving me Hannah's death certificate to make that real for me."

She turned and walked towards her bedroom.

Callie bit her lip and raised her eyes to the ceiling above her. The entire situation was so sad. Listening to Arizona speak about the ordeal had almost been too much for the latina. She licked her lips and tasted her own tears. Wiping her face with her hand, she turned and watched as her girlfriend disappeared into her bedroom.

She remained in the living room for a moment so she could calm herself. The death certificate was still in her grasp and she found herself wondering what Terri's purpose had been in giving it to the smaller woman.

The answer hit her full force and she nearly gasped with elation. Turning, she followed her lover's earlier trek and entered the bedroom.

Arizona was lying on her side on her bed. Her knees were tucked up by her chest in a fetal position and her hands were between her face and the pillow underneath her head.

Callie walked over to her and squatted next to her on the floor. The blonde refused to look at her and continued to stare at the wall across the room.

"Arizona, I think I know why Terri sent this." she started slowly.

The blonde met her gaze and raised an eyebrow in silent question.

Hesitating, Callie sighed and said, "I think you need to talk to her about it. She's not leaving until tomorrow, Ari and-"

"No. I'm not meeting her, Calliope. I won't do that to you again."

The Mexican woman matched her gaze evenly and let her fingers trace a tender path down her cheek.

"Mi amor, I'm asking you to do this. I'll go with you. We can meet her together and talk with her about everything, okay? Once you know about the Travers and-"

Arizona sat up and rested her weight on her right arm.

"The Travers? So, she did recommend that case and you knew? How did you know?" she asked quickly. She wasn't angry, just confused and emotionally spent.

Callie turned her head and pursed her lips.

"I figured it out when I ran into Terri in the elevator. Arizona, let her help you put this behind you. I'll be with you and we'll do this together, okay?"

"Okay, her number is on the dresser."

The dark haired woman stood from her place on the floor and walked across the room.

"I'll call her. You just get yourself ready." she said.